Emeritus
by SETxMExFREE
Summary: Dreams. Ambitions. Merits. Things you've based your life on, crumbling in your hands. Together, Haruhi and Kyoya prove that misery loves company, with a twist.
1. A priori

Disclaimer: **If I owned this, do you think I would be spending my time writing fanfiction on it? Really, now. The only people I own are...well, people who you don't recognize from the manga or anime, and I think you'll be able to tell. They have rather pitiful parts in the story.**

**Now then, i'm a critic by nature. I say good things to writers, I say horrible things to writers, and I say random things to writers. I already know i'm horrible with ending sentences with a preposition, and I find it difficult to stay on the correct path and tend to ramble on about meaningless things.  
_  
I will not always stay with the character limitations._**

**_I'm warning you,_**

**Kyoya is a perverted lecher on the inside, and i'm just itching to bring that side of him out. Believe me, this is no fairy tale, so if you like stories by the book,**

**you might just find yourself in tears.  
**

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Haruhi X Kyoya

_Prelude:_

It was chilly outside, a light wind nipping her exposed ears and sending a slight shiver down her spine. It matched how she felt beneath her battered and blood stained coat and ruined track shoes.

_**"I can make it… I can…I just have to…keep…going…"**_

She pressed a hand to her side, trying to swallow back the bile and blood that came burning up her throat.

"HARUHI!"

She turned, and she could no longer hold on. Her vision began to dim, and the drumming in her ears sounded strangely like feet pounding on the concrete. If she gave in, she knew she'd loose everything she'd come so far to save.

_Beginning:_

Feeling the beginning of a headache coming on, she opened the bottle of aspirin she kept in her bag and downed them with a swig of water. Classes now were at their hardest, the teachers pressing the students in their final year to prepare them for the bright future their parents money had in store for them. Or, at least, for most of them. Haruhi had to earn her living, first with a scholarship to attend the most prestigious school in Japan, and then devoting her life and her nose to the books that would get her into college.

Ouran was an amazing school, and she was thankful for being able to attend it; the school itself had changed her life, but it was the people in it who made her every day life a literal fantasy world. She never thought she'd be paying off debts she incurred from breaking a prized vase by dressing up as a man and entertaining ladies. She never thought she'd be so good at decieving people, either. Apparently she was a natural.

Haruhi couldn't help but smile, though, as she thought of all of the friends she'd made over the years.

It'd been two years since Hunni-senpai and Mori-senpai graduated from Ouran, leaving to attend to their families' dojos. Last she had heard, Hunni was a dojo master, and had opened his own dojo somewhere in the west. Mori-senpai was still in college, obtaining his masters in business so that he could take over the families business and allow Hunni-senpai to run his dojo in peace.

Tamaki-senpai and Kyoya-senpai had graduated last year, and the Host Club was left to Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi, who were given the responsibility of watching over the new Host Club members to take their place. Now, their clients were more numerous than ever and business was booming.

Haruhi had hoped that with the graduation of the president and vice president, she would finally be done repaying her debt. Kyoya, however, stated otherwise. She still had two million left before she could return to her womanhood and leave the Host Club.

Now, she was the President of the Host Club, and was left to manage everything and everyone, which stressed her to no end with the amount of studying she was left to do.

As she reminisced about her old friends and wondered what they were all up to, a knock on her door nearly startled her.

"Haruhi, sweetie, it's nearly midnight. Don't you think you should get some rest?"

Her father asked her, concerned. Stifling a yawn, she looked to see that her father was still in his work uniform from the bar.

"I could say the same to you. Did you just get in?"

Ranka smiled slightly, leaning on the door frame.

"Yes, we were packed tonight, so I stayed late for some overtime. Ever since Yuhara's place closed, we've been busier than ever."

Haruhi nodded, closing her book and placing her papers under it. Her essay could wait until tomorrow.

"Alright, I made some Yakizakana; there were fresh fish at the market today, so I thought you'd like some."

Ranka smiled, and came to place a kiss atop Haruhi's head. She knew he'd been working hard, and she always made him some of his favorite dishes when she wanted to do something to show her appreciation.

"Arigato, Haruhi. I'll have some as soon as you're all tucked in and off to sleep," he joked. She rolled her eyes playfully at his jest, and got up to nestle her self in between her sheets.

"Night dad."

" Goodnight, Haruhi. Sleep well."

Turning off the light and closing her door, Ranka decided he'd tell her about the letter tomorrow.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

**This was sixteen pages long, delving right into the story plot, but I wanted to just leave you with a sample of how my story is going to begin.  
**

**I will be publishing the first chapter soon after this goes out,**

**and I LOVE constructive criticism, **

**so give me your best, loves, I really do appreciate a good critic. Sarcasm is a must.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**Caitlin.  
**


	2. Aude Sapere

Disclaimer: Story Plot? Mine. Ouran High School Host Club? NOT MINE.

Well, here is the first real chapter, where the cute fluff ends and the nitty gritty begins. It might be cliche right now, but it's getting to where I get to put my own spin on things,

and that,

my friends,

is where it gets interesting.

xxx

Slapping the clock, Haruhi rubbed her hand over her eyes cursing how early morning came. She crawled out of bed, pulling out a clean uniform and laying it on the back of her chair. As soon as she stepped in the shower, she felt her senses come out of their daze and begin to sharpen. The warm spray helped her to recollect her thoughts as she began preparing herself for the day ahead. Through toweling off, drying her hair and putting on her uniform, she brainstormed the contents of her day. A test in anatomy, homework due in Calculus, and work after school. Haruhi glanced over at the books on her desk; she didn't have Sociology today, so there was no need to add more dead weight to her already sagging bag.

"Good morning dad, you're up early. Something wrong?"

Haruhi questioned her father. Usually he was still dozing off until noon, when he would wake up to get ready for work. He took a good two and a half hours to doll himself up.

"Ah, good morning. No no, nothings wrong, I just forgot to give you something that came in the mail yesterday. I thought it best to give it to you now."

She looked at her dad. His face didn't look forlorn or worried, or even sad, but his voice held a certain note of what seemed to be concern for his choice of words. Ranka seemed to taste the words before he let them slip off of his tongue where he couldn't take them back.

"Who's it from?"

Ranka shrugged, handing her the letter. It was still sealed, and had no return sender. Haruhi slid her finger under the flap, and pulled out the paper. The scrawl on it was elegant, but unfamiliar.

**_"My dear Haruhi,"_**

she read aloud,

**_"I'd hoped I wouldn't have to send you a letter my assistant would be forced to bring. Instead, I'd hoped to meet you in person, to get to know you before it would come to this."_**

She looked up at her dad, shooting him a questioning look. Ranka looked at a rather interesting loose thread on his pajama bottoms.

**_"I hope, however, that this letter will suffice to get you the information necessary. I know you are not aware of your mothers family, for they all died before you were born, or rather, so you were informed by your father. You did, infact, have a great grandfather. He loved you very much, and enjoyed reading you stories before your mother passed on. He is sorry he could not see you at times in your life where you would remember he would exist."_**

Haruhi paused for a second. She had a great grandfather? She had a great grandfather she'd met as a child before her mother died, and her father hadn't told her about him?

**_"Don't blame your father, my dear Haruhi, he had every right to do what he did, to keep you from me, and I do not carry on any bad feelings, and I ask you to do the same. But even though you did not know I was still here, I watched you grow. I felt so proud when you made it into Ouran, and I was rather puzzled when you began to dress as a boy in a male host club, but I figured you had your reasons."_**

Haruhi snorted. He had no idea.

**_"Come to rely on your friends, even though they might not be near you. Trust in them and confide in them. You are the glue that will keep them together, that I promise you. You are a strong, lovely girl, Haruhi, and I wanted to be able to tell you that in person before I passed on. In a few days, you will receive another letter, from me, and a call from a man named Osada. Your father will curse the ground I reside in, but you must listen to this man. I love you very much my dear, dear Haruhi._**  
**_Sadao Murakami_**

All Haruhi could do was blink. She had a great grandfather, presumably dead, who watched her throughout her entire life, and she never knew about any of it. And what was that about her friends and receiving more letters from him?

"Haruhi-"

"Why didn't you tell me I had a great grandfather?"

Haruhi asked quietly. She kept her eyes down on the paper and her voice tranquil and edgeless, though her father knew her well enough to know she was anything but calm and collected.

"Sadao was involved in big business deals, and he always had trouble following him. I didn't want to involve you in any of it…I didn't want you to get hurt."

She didn't know what kind of business would entail some descendant of a businessman being in any kind of trouble. But her father wasn't a spiteful man, and he always thought about her welfare before his own. Haruhi believed him when he said that he was thinking about her sake when it came to her great grandfather. She really didn't feel like dealing with this right now, or talking about it.

"We can talk about it later. I have to get to class."

Ranka began to stand up from the couch, but Haruhi turned sharply on her heel and left the house before he had a chance to reach the door. Haruhi descended the wrought iron steps as quickly as she could, clutching her bag tightly and pushing any thoughts out of her head.

'I don't understand any of this…I can't deal with this right now, either! I have more important things to worry about than this.'

As her pace quickened, she knew she wasn't going to be able to convince her mind to stray from the subject, though. Her thoughts were always taken over with quotes from the letter. She wondered what they sounded like in Sadou's voice, how he would have stressed the sentences, what he meant when he talked about her friends. Did he know any of them? Did they know him?

All day she pondered the letter she received in the mail, and hesitated to ask Hikaru or Kaoru about a man they might or might not know.

"-hi…Haruhi, hey, earth to Haruhi!"

Kaoru called in her ear. Blinking rapidly, she snapped her head to look at him, nearly brushing his nose with her own and reeled back quickly.

"S-sorry Kaoru, I was thinking. Did you want something?"

Smiling widely, Kaoru wrapped an arm around her shoulder and strolled into the third floor music room's side parlor, where their guests didn't occupy.

"Oh, only to know why you've been basically comatose all day long. And your waist measurements."

"DO I even want to know why you need that?"

"Aah, if we told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?"

A voice came from behind. Haruhi turned to see Hikaru sitting at the piano bench, his head leaning on his hand. The twins had a favorite game they just loved to play. Haruhi had dubbed it the "lets make clothes and force Haruhi to wear them" game. The rules were that either Haruhi played nice and allowed the twins to doll her up and have their fun, or they stole all of her clothes and replaced them with their own pieces.

As you can guess, Haruhi opted to join in quietly and without a struggle. Wearing a heart print dress with three inch heels to the super market had drained all of the fight out of her.

"No, I suppose not."

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at one another, eyebrows raised at Haruhi's nonchalant response. Normally she came back with a dry retort, ending with them nearly bursting with laughter as her face became as red as a tomato.

"I think Haruhi might be broken, my dear Kaoru."

"I think you are right, Hikaru, and a broken Haruhi will surely mean you will pay more attention to her than you will me." Kaoru stated sadly.

"Maybe so, brother, but I could never take my eyes off of you for more than a minute, you are much too beautiful."

Haruhi rolled her eyes. Even in an empty room, Hikaru and Kaoru feel the need to act so lovingly towards one another.

"I wouldn't want to intrude in your brotherly love. I think I'm going to head to work early."

As Haruhi turned to hear toward the door and into the crowded room, the twins grabbed both of her wrists, lifting them in the air and turning her back to face them.

"Only if you tell us what's got you so uptight, Madame President?"  
"And not about the school work, this time, if you please. You tried that fourth period and we still don't believe you, seeing as school is out and you still look like you're living in your brain."

Hikaru and Kaoru had been pressing her for information all day, as they watched her run her hands through her hair one too many times, gnaw on her pencil, doodle on pages of notes, and even grabbing lunch and leaving it untouched on the table.

She didn't want to talk about it, though. She wouldn't know how to react if any of them had known her great grandfather and she hadn't.

'He told me I should trust in my friends…I wonder if he meant I should ask them about who he was…?'

Haruhi pondered. She guessed that that was one way it could be interpreted, though there were many different reasons he could have included that into his letter.

Sucking in a gulp of air, Haruhi told her self that there was no harm in asking.

"Have you two ever heard of a man named Sadao Murakami?"

She asked them, trying to keep herself calm and not look too hopeful. They looked at each other dully, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Who hasn't?"

Hikaru said sarcastically.

"Yah, his death has everyone in an uproar. Even after he's dropped dead, the old mans still as popular as ever."

Inside she felt a blow to her heart. So, they had known her great grandfather, or at least known of him. Playing it by ear, she continued,

"I heard of his death on the news, and I didn't really know what he was so famous for."

"He ran a few hospitals, I think he was in leagues with Kyoya-senpai's family, and he had some law firms and such. But he was rumored to have been involved in some pretty deep stuff, though I'm not really sure what."

Kaoru shrugged.

"And everyones searching for who this supposed heir is."

Haruhi was dumbfounded. Her great grandfather was this famous, and she had never heard his name once? She assured herself she lived under a social rock.

"Supposed heir?"

Hikaru ruffled her hair and laughed.

"It's just a rumor that his will mentions he has some family who's gonna take over the business, when everyone knows he doesn't have any family alive. Why are you so interested, anyways?"

She tried as hard as she could to keep the surprise out of her face and eyes, thinking up an excuse to hide her real reasons for her curiosity.

"Just curious I guess, I don't get why anyone really cares so much about the guys will or who he left it to."

Wide eyed, they both nearly shook her senseless.

"Are you insane, Haruhi?"

"Whoever gets his business will be in leagues with some of the top families in Japan-"

"like ours-"

"-and will control at least thirty percent of Japan. It's a BIG deal, Haruhi, it's every rich mans nightmare. Just think, if your nemesis gets the control, he'll put you out of business faster than you can take your money out of stocks and trap you in commoner purgatory!"

This wasn't happening.

No way, was this happening.

Not to her, not in this lifetime.

I mean, come on, super rich great grandfathers who own nearly half of Japan?

Haruhi rubbed her forehead as she buttoned up the shirt of her work uniform. She had been lucky enough to be employed in a private library three blocks or so from Ouran, where they had hundreds of years worth of books, documentaries, and old manuscripts. The only drawback was the librarians uniform, consisting of a form fitting long sleeved white button up shirt and a black skirt that fell at mid thigh. Thankfully, she was allowed to wear her own shoes, and donned a comfortable pair of red flats, since she was constantly standing up and replacing books people didn't feel the need to put back on the shelf.

Glancing up, she saw herself in the mirror of the bathroom. Her bag lay to the side of her, her uniform folded inside of it and her cell phone on top.

To: Kyoya-senpai  
"**Do you know where the Yoshiro Private Library is?"**

Hearing how Sadao had been connected to the Ootori business, she couldn't simply content herself in what Hikaru and Kaoru had told her. She needed to know more. Kyoya was bound to know more about him, since he seemed to know about anyone who was anyone and ran a business. He was sure to know anything she asked, since he was directly linked to his family.

Placing her familiar host smile on her face, she closed her bag and exited the restroom, putting her bag in the break room and taking her place at the front desk. Haruhi busied herself with checking in returned books and seeing to any one who requested to check out a book, entertaining them with idle chit chat and hiding behind her sincere smile as she wished them a good day and a good read.

As the pile of books aside her began to pile up on the return cart, she put her 'OPEN' sign down and pulled the cart into the heart of the library. The building was exquisite, with its marble floors and dark oak tables and bookshelves, luxurious reading nooks and stone columns holding up the high ceiling. The curved stained glass on the ceiling depicted a multi colored sun and moon amongst surrounding stars and planets, and cast the bookshelves under it aglow. Haruhi put away the books on medicine and fashion and household remedies, the childrens fables, and saved the fiction books for last, having to pull the emptying cart to the far end of the library, where they kept the fiction books and translated English books.

Grabbing the copy of Wuthering Heights, she looked at the Dewy number and sighed as she realized that it belonged on the shelf right below the very first. These bookcases were not built to assist the vertically impaired. Haruhi guessed the builder, a wealthy European, believed that all of those wealthy enough to come here were either tall enough or could pay for someone who was tall enough to reach the desired book on the top shelves.  
He must have hated Napoleon.

Haruhi stood on her tippy toes, holding onto a shelf to try to lever herself up higher to somehow slide the book into the shelf. A hand from behind her plucked the book out of her grasp and slid it easily into the open slot where it belonged, their other hand resting on her side. She looked up to see a pair of glinting glasses and a coy smile mocking her and her struggles.

"You should really use one of the step ladders, Haruhi."

He said chidingly.

"And you shouldn't sneak up on old friends, Kyoya-senpai."

Kyoya stepped back, removing his hand from her slender waist. She faintly felt the cold seep in where his hand had been. He'd grown a bit taller, and his lean figure was a bit more muscled and broad shouldered underneath a white button up shirt and a pair of black slacks.

"We match,"

Haruhi muttered unconsciously. Kyoya smirked, pressing his glasses closer to his eyes and looking her up and down. Normally she would blush at suck an obvious notion from a man, but Kyoya was an analytical genius who probably wasn't used to seeing her so feminine after nearly a year of his last memory of her being in an ouran uniform for boys.

"I suppose you are right, though I'm glad you're the one wearing a skirt and not me."

Haruhi chuckled lightly at Kyoya's joke; it wasn't often he made one consciously without slandering someone in the process.

"I don't think you asked me to come here just to see if we matched today, Haruhi. In fact, I'm curious as to why you asked to meet in a library, of all places."

Haruhi smiled lightly at her old friend, leaning past the shelves to look at one of the clocks on the wall.

"It's almost time for me to go home, do you want to wait and then we can get down to business?"

She asked him. Kyoya simply nodded, and headed over to the front desks, taking a seat in a chair closest to the one he had learned from one of her co-workers belonged to Haruhi.

She finished putting the books away, and thanked Kaori for attending to any other guests.  
Ten minutes remained on her shift, and they seemed to drag by. No one was in the library aside from those who worked there and Kyoya, since it was the dinner hour and books were the last thing on any ones mind. The minutes seemed to drag on as she watched the clock and cast side long glances at Kyoya, who contented himself with staring at the stained glass ceiling.  
'Probably estimating how much it cost to make it,'

Haruhi thought to herself. She noticed her boss, a middle aged woman with sharp glasses and honey blonde hair wrapped into a loose bun approaching her.

"Haruhi."

"Yes, Akane-sama?"

She cast a side long glance at Kyoya, who was doing the same to her. She clicked her teeth and adjusted her glasses to look at Haruhi again.

"Tomorrow do you think you could re-label the books in the Spanish section? I couldn't get to it today, and their labels are becoming faded."

Nodding, Haruhi bowed to her boss, who nodded her head in return and gave Kyoya another short look.

"And mention to your boyfriend that he has yet to return an English book and I'm not waiving the late fee this time."

Haruhi blinked for a moment. Boyfriend?

"Oh, he's not my-"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Haruhi. Thank you for your hard work."

Haruhi knew she was being dismissed. With an apologetic look to Kyoya, she headed into the break room and grabbed her bag, saying good bye to everyone in there who wished her a good night. When she returned, Kyoya was standing by the doors waiting for Haruhi.

"Where do you want to talk?"  
Kyoya asked bluntly.

She pondered this for a moment. Her apartment was across town, and her father was working tonight, so he wouldn't be home, but she didn't want to keep Kyoya occupied for too long. She'd already kept him from his work from having him wait for her.

"I'm not busy right now, I made sure to take care of any outstanding affairs before I came,"

he said as if he could read her mind. It probably showed on her face as she looked from her cell phone to him and back.

"We'll go to a café, since you can't decide for yourself."

He decided for himself. She wasn't up to objecting. She hadn't eaten out in a while, and perhaps it was best to get this over with sooner rather than later. They walked down the lightly crowded sidewalk to a small corner café named "Café KiKi". She wasn't sure when it had opened up, but she'd never seen it before. Kyoya pressed his hand to the small of her back as he guided her inside and to a booth in a corner where they could speak in private. Again, when he removed his hand, she felt the spot quickly cool and send a slight shiver up her spine.

Her action didn't go unnoticed by Kyoya.

The waitress brought them menus, and she couldn't keep her eyes off of Kyoya, who ordered a cup of expensive sounding coffee. She asked for pomegranate juice.

"Thank you for coming out to meet me on such short notice, Kyoya-senpai,"

Haruhi began once the waitress brought their drinks and took their orders.

"Vous desirez, monsieur et madame?"

Placing their orders, the waitress shot another look at Kyoya and sauntered off into the kitchen.

"It's not like you to call me away from business, or any of us for that matter."

She looked down as Kyoya stirred his coffee patiently. Truthfully, she did feel bad. She hadn't seen him in forever, had no clue what he had been up to, and hadn't given him much thought since he had graduated and basically broke contact with her.

"I know, and I apologize for that-"

"I believe we've already been through this part of the conversation, Haruhi. Can you get to the point?"

Haruhi nervously took a sip of her drink, running a finger along the condensation on the outside of the glass.

"I'd asked Hikaru and Kaoru about a man, and they told me that he was tied to your business. I figured it would be the smartest choice to go directly to you and ask before I asked anyone else, since you are most likely to know him."

Narrowing his eyes, Kyoya took a sip of his coffee.

"Have you taken a personal interest in someone I work with?"

Missing the innuendo in Kyoya's words, Haruhi nodded.

"From what they told me, his businesses are connected to yours personally."

"And how do you know of this person? Did they attend Ouran?"

Kyoya asked, and Haruhi shook her head, gripping the letter in the pocket of the jacket she had donned to cover up her rather revealing uniform.

"No, he sent me a letter. I didn't really know he existed until today."

Utterly confused, Kyoya pursed his lips and knitted his brow together, not quite understanding where he came into all of this.

"Are you being stalked?"

"Oh, no! Nothing like that. It's…well, it's rather complicated to explain."

He looked at her incredulously. Did she not recall just who he was?

"Just…read this, alright? I think you'll understand everything better than if I tried explaining it."

Haruhi pulled out the letter which was developing well worn creases on its surface from her folding and unfolding it so many times. He glanced up at her as he took it, opening it slowly and watching her eyes as he held it in front of him. She looked at the back of the paper as if something would jump out at her, cautious and slightly scared.

His eyes were drawn automatically to the name scrawled at the bottom: Sadao Murakami.

'Great grandfather.'  
'I love you dearly.'  
'Come to rely on your friends.'

Ha nearly slammed his fist on the table.

"Is this some sort of sick joke, Haruhi? Do you think this is amusing?"

This man was dead, leaving his company to a mysterious heir who no one knew the name of. He had no living family documented.

"Do you think I find this amusing? Am I liar in your book now, Kyoya?"

He looked at the signature once more. He couldn't deny that it looked exactly like the signature he had seen on so many documents. He knew Sadao was a rather kind man when he was not in the public eye; he loved visiting the hospitals and bringing presents to the children unfortunate enough to have to have residence in a hospital, so the tone of the letter was not off putting to him. But, to have to receive this letter from Haruhi, a girl who only had her father as her living relative, who had probably never even heard of this man or knew what he'd done in his lifetime, was confusing.

"You say you received it this morning?"  
"Yes, well, my father had it last night, but he gave it to me this morning,"

Haruhi reconfirmed.

"Do you know who he is?"  
"Only what Hikaru and Kaoru told me. I didn't even know who he was, which was why I wanted to talk to you about it."

The waitress came with their food then, though neither of them really paid attention and Kyoya dismissed the waitress rather quickly with a heated glare.

"Have you shown anyone else this letter?"

"No, I haven't,"

Haruhi said, confused,

"why?"

Kyoya took off his glasses and set them on the table beside his plate, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Because if the analysis from this letter comes out to be legitimate, then things are going to become extremely complicated."

"Analysis…what?"

"Haruhi,"

Kyoya began rather softly.

"I don't think you understand who this man is. He has no family noted, he runs multiple businesses, and he is a corporate head. If you are his only living heir, then you are the heir listed in his will, and it only gets more complicated from there. Murakami industries would be handed over to you, which will completely disrupt the businesses. That is, if this letter is actually from him."

All Haruhi could do was shake her head in disbelief. This could NOT be happening. What about someone who actually wanted to have power in their hands? Someone who knew the first thing about running a business?

"And if you receive more letters, you'll have to let me read them. I'm calling Osada right now-"

"You know who he is?"

Haruhi interjected quickly. Kyoya pulled out his phone and pressed a button, holding it up to his ear.

"Did you deliver a letter to a Haruhi Fujioka last night?"

He waited a few moments in silence.

"Can you bring the next one to me personally? I'm with Fujioka as we speak."

Haruhi felt slightly insulted as she was referred to by her last name like an object he had in his possession and not an old friend.

"We'll head to my residence as soon as we finish up here. I'll expect you waiting for me with the letter when we arrive."

He closed the phone and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Glancing down at the table, he picked up a fork and popped the _Rouille de seiche _into his mouth.

"Your _Brandade de morue _is getting cold, Haruhi."

In a way she was glad she would now be able to get some answers as to who her great grandfather was. Yet, in another, she wasn't sure it was worth it, if all the things that Kyoya said would happen were, indeed, correct.

She played with the salted cod on her plate, glad she had picked out a fish dish since the fish were not in season. Kyoyas squid looked delicious as well, and as overwhelmed as she was, the relaxed atmosphere and the delicious smells were enough to revive her appetite as she ate the fish in silence.

Kyoya paid, despite Haruhi's protests, and guided her out of the door. The sidewalks were now nearly empty, seeing as this was one of the less frequented sides of town, being so close to Ouran, and Kyoya quickly called a private car to come pick them up in front of the library.

"Kyoya-senpai?"

Haruhi asked hesitantly. He looked down at her as they stood outside of the café.

"I didn't want any of this to happen. If…if it's true, isn't there anyone else that can head the businesses?"

It was an innocent enough question to her. Truthfully, she really didn't want anything to do with heading and corporations. He smirked a bit at her cluelessness as to how things worked in his world.

"It's not that easy. The only other person who could take over the company without starting a political uprising is the companies' vice president, Isao Yoshida."

Kyoya nearly spat his name out, as if it burned his lips and tongue to speak aloud. Pulling her jacket closer around her neck, Haruhi shouldered her bag and walked across the street with Kyoya pacing beside her. The didn't notice the car speeding down the hill until it was 20 feet away. Haruhi reacted on instinct, throwing her weight onto her toes and throwing her self onto Kyoya, thrusting her arms out and shoving him out of the way.

"HARUHI!"

She'd tried to smile slightly to Kyoya, but the car came too quickly, and her eyes widened in shock as she felt the car slam into her torso, sending her body into the air and onto the hood, her knee going through the windshield. The driver quickly braked, sending Haruhi rolling onto the asphalt. She was nearly covered in blood by now.

The driver backed up, turned around and sped off from where he came from. Kyoya memorized the plate number as he pulled out his cell phone and called an ambulance. It didn't seem real to him; Haruhi had placed his life above her own, when she could have ran out of the way and let him get hit, but she shoved him out of the way and took the blows. He found his feet weren't capable of getting over to her fast enough. He wasn't sure what he could say to get her to open her eyes.

"Haruhi…Haruhi, open your eyes. Wake up, Haruhi."

He saw his hands shaking as he lifted her battered body upward to check her pulse; it was faint, but there. She had cuts everywhere, and her leg was bent at an angle which could only mean it was dislocated or badly broken.

He didn't even feel relief that he wasn't in her place, like he usually would if someone was in a bad position. He felt flattered, in a dry sort of way, and he felt responsible. The ambulance was taking too long and he couldn't stop the bleeding. The blood was everywhere.

He wasn't aware that his new shirt was now completely ruined. In some odd way he thought that if she had been aware that her blood was all over his shirt, she wouldn't be worried about herself, she would ask if he was going to add that to her debt.

"Haruhi, come on now, wake up."

Sirens were headed his way, sounding faint and too far away. Her eyes weren't even twitching as he kept calling her name. He didn't know what else to do. The men brought out the stretcher, the oxygen tanks, and loaded her up into the back. He climbed in with her, telling the paramedics what had happened.

He couldn't recall what he told them, only about the car, he hoped. If he had accidentally said anything about the letter he pocketed, he'd be in deep trouble. Pulling out his cell, he called Osada again.

"No, I'm not on my way. I'm headed to the hospital."

"Not me, Haruh- Fujioka. She was hit by a car. Check and see if anyone has figured out who she is, Osada. I don't think it was just an accident."

Kyoya flipped the phone shut and returned it to his pocket. He hoped to god things only got better from here.

xxx

Alrightie then... she got hit by a car, and the car drove away, with a cracked and bloody wind shield? Spiffy.

This is reckless Haruhi at her worst.

And, to wrap things up, I will explain what the chapter titles mean:

**A Priori: From what comes before.**

**Aude Sapere: Dare to know. **


	3. Alic Volat Propiis

**Disclaimer:** Ouran High School Host Club and it's entirety is not mine.

Welcome to the third chapter of Emeritus.

I hope you've been enjoying everything thus far,

because i'm just getting started. =D

**Alis Volat Propiis:** She flies with her own wings.

PS: i'm revamping chapters, so they should be improved quality. **7/19 **

_**REVIEW, Sil vous plait. **_

He couldn't get the look on her face out of his head.

The surprise on her face when she saw him on the ground,

her lips twitching upward into what had appeared to be the start of a smile,

and how her eyes flew open and pain squeezed them shut. She looked peaceful, laying there on the asphalt amidst the broken glass and her own blood.

It had been nearly two hours since she had been rushed into the emergency room. He'd demanded his brother was the head surgeon, he didn't trust anyone else to take care of Haruhi's well being.

The first person Kyoya placed a call to was her father, Ranka. That hadn't gone so well, what with her father nearly jumping through the phone and threatening him that if anything happened to her he'd wring his pricey little neck. He'd convinced Ranka to stay at work, that he was taking care of everything.

He hesitated about calling anyone in the Host Club. Instead, he called his father.

"Yes, what is it Kyoya?"  
"I've been held up at the hospital."  
He heard his father shuffle some papers around, probably looking for a pen to write down the contents of the conversation. Kyoya rarely called, and when he did, it was important.  
"Are you well?"  
His father asked him, slightly concerned.

"I'm fine, father, but there was an accident. I'll explain it to you in person."  
His father sighed.  
"I'll be there soon."

With a click he shut his phone to block out the dial tone. Telling his father about the potential situation that Haruhi was the heir they had been searching for in Sadou's will concerned him. His father had mixed feelings for Haruhi Fujioka; she was strong-willed and supportive of her friends, but she was from a commoner background and spoke on issues she didn't fully comprehend. He didn't entirely trust what his fathers' reaction would be when he discovered Haruhi's lineage, or the fact that he was told off by a girl everyone thought was a boy.

His brother, the first born of the Ootori's, came out of the ER pulling off a pair of bloody gloves and tossing them out.

"She will live. There were mostly wounds from the glass and a dislocated hip, but we fixed it up easily. She's going to need reconstructive surgery for the scarring on her legs, but she doesn't seem to have any internal damage."

A strange wave of what seemed like relief washed over him. He attributed it to the fact that everyone wouldn't be out to kill him, only Tamaki for not protecting his 'precious daughter.'

A slight smirk on his brother's face drew his attention; however, as he was glancing at the medical clipboard Kyoya had filled out in haste.

"Is this the same Fujioka Haruhi that father-"

"Yes, Itoshi, it is. Is she still asleep?"

Itoshi only grinned wider, tossing back a strand of hair and itching his nose slightly.

"She is, though I must say, brother, I didn't think you went for the cute but naughty type. A librarian's uniform?"

Kyoya felt his face flush at what his brother said. Itoshi had always been one for teasing his little brothers, especially when there was nothing pressuring them to compete against one another. Itoshi had already declared his interests in the medical field and had no intention of taking over the Ootori family business, leaving only his younger brothers in the battle for head Ootori.

"She works in a library. I don't have any affiliation with her aside from us both being Host Club members."

Both turned at the sound of the elevator beeping. Itoshi turned to his brother, placing his lips near his ear to whisper,

"You say you have no relationship with her, but the look on your face seems to show you would like one, little brother."

Kyoya tried hard to keep his face from growing flushed as his father walked up to the two, accompanied by staff members and a set of body guards.

"Well, Kyoya, what happened?"

Both of the Ootori stayed to listen to Kyoyas explanation of the car and how Haruhi had shoved him out of the way, leaving out the entire reason that they were together had to do with Haruhi's possible great grandfather.

Yoshio Ootori looked at both of his sons, back and fourth.

"So he pushed you out of the way of a moving vehicle?"

Itoshi snorted slightly, which was completely out of character in front of their father.

"It's more along the lines of SHE pushed him out of the way of a moving vehicle."

Wishing he could slam his head into a brick wall, he looked at the white tiles under his feel that were slightly scuffed from his pacing these past two hours. He could nearly hear the gears click in his fathers mind as he put two and two together about who Haruhi really was.

"So the host club member Haruhi Fujioka was a woman all along…I'll be damned. And she put herself in danger to save you… What were you two doing together, Kyoya?"

Kyoya blinked. Was his father inquiring about his personal life?

"Having dinner, father. She had invited me out for the evening to discuss…personal issues."

Both the older Ootoris looked at Kyoya as if he had just done some spectacular feat.

"Personal issues? Itoshi, is this girl pregnant?"

"N-no, father, my best guess is that she is still pure, as it would be."

Kyoya couldn't believe this. His brother and father were inquiring about his personal life and his sex life, in the same day, in the same life time. These were the same people who he had struggled against his entire life, who tried to suppress him and demean him.

"So then what is this deal about personal affairs? Are you in a relationship with this girl you have neglected to inform me about, Kyoya?"

"No, nothing like that. If you must know, I don't think this is the place to discuss the contents of out meeting. Itoshi is there somewhere we may continue this conversation,"

He paused to look at the nosy nurses and doctors and nonchalant bodyguards lingering by,

"in private?"

Itoshi led them to a private meeting room where no one occupied, and excused himself to see to Haruhi and her status. Sighing, Kyoya sat himself in one of the chairs at the table, resisting the urge to slouch from all of the stress draining his energy. His father took a seat across from him, and rested his chin on his hands.

"I hope this is extremely important, Kyoya. I cancelled an appointment with the head of the Imamura Companies to come here."

"I think you'll find the information I've received today…shocking,"

Kyoya said to attain his fathers information.

"I'm listening,"

Yoshio prodded his son to begin.

At this point, Kyoya had no choice but to tell his father the truth, and hoped for the best.

"Haruhi Fujioka only has a father, and is a commoner as you have been informed, that much is true. She posed as a man to pay off her dept to the host club for breaking a vase, seeing as she does not have the necessary income to pay for it herself,"

Yoshio smirked slightly at this, knowing too well his son had to have something to do with that arrangement.

"And this morning she received a letter."

Pulling the crumpled paper out of his pocket, he handed it to his father, who opened it and scanned it quickly. When he began shaking, Kyoya knew this was either going to end disastrously, or very well.

"You're trying to convince me that a COMMONER is the heir to Sudao's company? Is this a sick joke, Kyoya?"

The irony in what his father just said made him smirk slightly as he recalled his reaction to the first time he read the letter Haruhi handed him at the café.

"I thought the same thing. Look at the signature, it's an exact copy. I can assure you that Fujioka had no prior knowledge of who this man was. Osada was the one who delivered the letter, and he is coming with a second one."

His father looked bewildered.

"Osada? He knew who this girl was the entire time and he never said anything? This is…"

Horrible? Phenomenal? Confusing?

'Say something, at least. Don't just ramble senselessly, father,'

Kyoya said in his head.

"It is…?"

Yoshio looked up at his son, his face suddenly drained and his smirk completely faded.

"The epitome of a deer about to be caught in a hunters trap."

The steady drone of staccato beeps came from somewhere beside her, though if it was to her left or her right, she couldn't exactly tell. Her eyelids were entirely too heavy for her liking as she tried to open them and see where the beeping was coming from.

It was too annoying to be her alarm clock, and these sheets were entirely too soft and honey scented to be her own.

Haruhi reached her left hand up to rub her eyes, but a sharp pain in her forearm caused her to hiss in pain.

"What in the…?"

"It's about time you woke up, Haruhi."

A voice came from beside the beeping noises. Finally being able to open her eyes, she strained to focus her vision on a wavering figure beside her. As the shapes came together, and the fog seemed to lift, she saw what looked like Kyoya, sitting in a chair by her bed, though he wasn't wearing what she remembered him in.

"Why are you in my room?"

She asked innocently. She watched his eyes close slightly and his lips curve upward in a coy smile, like the one he was wearing when he came to meet her at the library.

"Your hospital room, you mean? The last time I checked, you're in my family's hospital, so I have every right to be in this room."

"H-hospital, wha-"

Falling into a series of dry coughs, Haruhi nearly shook from how intense the coughs were, and Kyoya reached for the glass of water on the table and placed it to her lips.

"The medicine will cause your throat to become dry, but drinking water will help with the coughing."

"Thank you,"

She said between sips. With her hand that wasn't hooked up to an IV drip, she took the glass from him and watched as he sat back down. When she went to put the glass back down, she realized that they weren't alone in the room. An older man who wore glasses and a suit sat in a chair near the window, staring intently at the two. It took her a second to connect a name to a face, but she suddenly remembered who he was: Yoshio Ootori.

"Hello, Ootori-sama,"

She greeted formally, nodding her head to him. He nodded in response, shifting slightly in his seat and switching the paper from his left hand to his right. She noticed the paper, and recognized it instantly, and whipped her head around to look at Kyoya.

"You told him?"

She asked, already knowing the obvious answer. Kyoya didn't know what to say, he simply kept his face calm and leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs and placing his hands on the arm rest.

"Yes, Miss Fujioka, and I'm sorry you were in such a horrible accident, though I am grateful to you for putting your life in jeopardy for the sake of my son's. Not many people would do that who are not under employment for our company."

She stared at the man rather blankly, not knowing how to react. This was the head of the Ootori business, who once worked closely with her great grandfather. She had no idea what their relationship had been like, if they had enjoyed one another's company or only worked together for businesses sake.

"I'm pretty sure Kyoya's life is worth more than my own, Ootori-sama. He has more to lose that I do from being confined to a hospital bed, after all,"

Haruhi answered carefully. She saw Yoshio-san's lips twitch slightly, as they curved upward, and all of a sudden he began laughing quietly behind his hand.

"Forgive me, Fujioka-san, your ability to find humor in such a dismal situation is rather admirable. I can see why Kyoya enjoys your company."

The two teenagers glanced briefly at one another, confused at where his father was directing this conversation. They both knew he knew of her status as Sudao's great granddaughter and thus the heiress to his business, but he hadn't even implicated the least bit of concern. A knock at the door alerted them to Itoshi's appearance, as he came in with a small smile and a clipboard.

"Good morning, Miss Fujioka. How are you feeling?"

Since waking up, Haruhi hadn't noticed anything wrong with herself aside from the slight ache in her arm from the IV needle. It wasn't until she twitched her calf that she felt a wave of pain shoot up her leg and into her hip. The same happened to her other leg when she tried to recoil. Itoshi quickly documented her reaction and looked at the stats on the monitor as she formed a response.

"My legs are aching, but I'm sure I'm fine."

"Aah, very modest, Miss Fujioka. However, I'm well aware your legs must hurt slightly worse than an ache. You were in a car accident, right?"

He asked. It was standard procedure to confirm the source of the injury with the patient, and she nodded.

"You obtained several rather deep wounds from glass shards on your legs, and your hip had been dislocated, but aside from some other minor cuts and bruises, you're alright. I've gotta say, I'm glad you saved my brother, but it was rather reckless of you to take on a moving car when you have such a slight frame."

His lecture reminded her of the time at the beach where she had taken on the two boys who were harassing the girls in their party. Tamaki had scolded her for acting so recklessly, because she was a girl.

"It was either that or we both got hit. Id rather it be me than Kyoya-senpai."

Looking at her with a small smile on his face, he shot a quick glance at his father before coming and slowly removing the blanket, watching Haruhi's reaction when she saw her legs for the first time since the accident.

Nearly half of them were covered in white bandages, some had a bit of blood seeping through them, and her hips were constrained with wraps and white bandages. All she could do was blink in confusion as Kyoya stared at what she had caused herself for his welfare. Itoshi looked at his clipboard, and placed it under his arm.

"Thank you Miss Fujioka, for letting me see how your wounds are doing. I'll send a nurse by shortly to change out the bandages."

As he turned to leave, Haruhi quickly asked him,

"When will I be able to go home, Doctor?"

Pausing at the door way to turn and speak, Itoshi pointed at his brother with his pinky.

"Ask him,"

and walked out of the room. As if Itoshi's departure was a cue, Yoshiro stood, fixing his glasses and straightening out his suit jacket.

"I'm going to find some suitable lunch nearby, and take care of some matters which are in need of my attending. I'll be back shortly,"

and with an exchange of nods, left and closed the door behind him. Haruhi was left alone with a Kyoya who was staring out of the window through seemingly cloudy eyes.

"Hello, Kyoya-senpai? Kyoya-senpai? Are you alive?"

Haruhi asked, waving her free arm in front of his dazed face. Was he squeamish when it came to the sight of blood?

Kyoya blinked, though his face stayed calm and distant as he looked her in the eyes and cleared his throat.

"That was reckless at the least, Haruhi. For being an honor student, you clearly have no common sense."

It was either the drugs or the injuries, but Haruhi was not in the mood for arguing with Kyoya about taking on a car and not allowing him to do so. She told herself that it would be wiser to take up the conversation when both of them were able to walk out of a room of their own accord and not with one unable to walk, period.

"I'm sorry, Kyoya-senpai, if I worried you."

Haruhi apologized rather blandly. In spite of all of the things that had happened, all at once, she didn't want to add conflict into the mix. She'd already found out her future might be disrupted, she had been hit by a car and couldn't walk, and to top it all off, she was starving. She hadn't finished eating her cod at the café and she wasn't sure how long she had been asleep. Her stomach gurgled, and she decided she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

Kyoya smirked lightly as he heard her stomach growl and she put her hand over it, embarrassed.

"At least that part of you is working,"

he joked.

"Do you have anything in mind you'd like to eat? I can have father send out someone to pick it up while he is out."

"Oh, no, anything they bring is fine, I'll be happy to be eating something. But…Kyoya-sempai, about when I'll be able to go home?"

He'd talked to Ranka since the time he'd informed him of Haruhi's accident, ascertaining Ranka's current predicament that Ranka had left on his voice mail.

"Your father, Ranka-san, is out on a business trip,"

he held up his hand to stop her protest, knowing she was going to incur if he'd even told him that she was in the hospital,

"and yes, he knows about your accident, and he's very worried about you. However, I assured him that we would take care of you while he was out on business and all expenses would be handled."

Great. Now not only did she have all of her current dilemmas, but now she wouldn't be able to talk about her great grandfather to her father, she would be under the Ootori's care, incurring god knows how much dept, and chances are he wouldn't let her go to school or work.

xxx

"So, you're telling me that I'm going to have to stay with you until my father gets back?"

Haruhi confirmed. It'd been three days since she had awoken with her bandaged legs and the introduction into her now insane life. She'd spent her three days with Kyoya constantly around her, eating her meals with him and his father, Yoshiro, who was quite enjoyable despite the last time she had met him. He seemed calmer, much more relaxed. Kyoya seemed a little disturbed by his father's sudden change in attitude, as well. Normally he was lucky to see his father once a week when it wasn't business related, but his father had visited both him and Haruhi every day, bringing meals from restaurants or from home. He actually seemed to enjoy himself, sitting in the hospital room and listening to the answers Haruhi gave him to the questions he would ask every now and then.

Kyoya wondered if that was one of Haruhi's special powers, being able to bring people together. She had been doing it for years at Ouran with everyone, helping them without realizing it. Perhaps she was doing the same to his father.

"Is there a problem with that, Haruhi?"

Kyoya inquired, looking at Haruhi with a raised eyebrow. She had been situated in the room next to his, and an adjoining door had quickly been installed for easy access. A good majority of the staff had been dismissed for a few weeks, to take their vacations promised to them every year, and his father decided that it would be best if Kyoya attended to her personally. Naturally, he objected, because he was not a maid or a nurse, but his father wouldn't hear his objections.

'Think of it this way, Kyoya. By doing this, you are building more trust in Fujioka-san, and putting yourself in a promising position if she is to inherit Murakami industries.'

He couldn't refuse his father, it was ingenious in a business sense, building more of Haruhi's confidence in him would be promising if she takes over Murakami's business.

"Well, no, but I have my school work and work to tend to, and I don't want to intrude or add more to my debt."

He looked at her, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. He hadn't been a host for his High School years to not be able to keep his tongue in check.

"I took that into mind, as you would have thought, Haruhi. I've asked Hikaru and Kaoru to deal with bringing you your school work, and I've informed your boss that you are taking a medical leave. Your job isn't in jeopardy."

The sun was setting in the window, casting an orange glow about the light pink walls and the wood flooring. Haruhi always felt calmed by the sight of a sunset, and couldn't help but feel it calm her slightly. Her problems were still very much real, but for now, it was best to act calmly. That is, until a thought slammed her into reality.

"You haven't called Tamaki have you?"

She asked, her eyes flying open and fist clenching the goose down blankets and 2000 thread count sheets. The last thing she wanted was Tamaki knowing his 'darling daughter' was injured, and she was staying with 'mommy' for the time being.

"No. I'm not masochistic by any means."

Relief washed over her. She was safe for another day, and safe from another headache.

"Thank you, Kyoya-senpai, for everything. I appreciate your help."

"It's fine."

He dismissed. Haruhi offered him a smile, and he offered one back, slightly strained and she knew it wasn't real.

"I know the only merit in helping me is to get my interest if I were to inherit my great grandfathers company."

He expected her to say something like that, just like his father had said. He'd thought the same, he wasn't stupid. If he could get her to become close to him, than he could also get her to give him control of the company, and he would see his hard work become a success. It would be easy enough, seeing as Haruhi had already displayed some interest in him. Every time he would touch her gently, she would shiver when he'd retract his hand.

"It's an interesting concept, in its own way,"

Kyoya said thoughtfully. He wasn't sure how to respond to her without alerting suspicion and the creation of a wall he would have to take time to break through.

"Fujioka-san, are you all settled?"

Yoshio asked from the doorway. He walked in and nodded to his son, who bowed lightly. Haruhi nodded her head to him, greeting him with a smile.

"Yes, Ootori-sama, I am. I'm thankful for your hospitality."

"Ahh, call me Yoshio, Fujioka-san, we are well enough acquainted, and you are a good friend of my son, after all."

"I see, Yoshio-san, then I would also like it if you would call me by my first name."

Haruhi said politely. Smiling, Yoshio patted her foot under the blanket lightly.

"Very well, Haruhi. I'm afraid, though, that this time I didn't come to see you merely for entertainment. We've a little business to discuss about Murakami-san."

They all knew this time would come. She'd anticipated it for the last three days, when she would be forced to acknowledge how her future plans would change. Kyoya saw her squirm under her fathers gaze, and ignored his slight urge to walk to her closer bedside. He had no reason to comfort her. It was just business, after all.

I received the analysis on the penmanship and any fingerprints. The only person who we didn't know handled it was Sudao. His penmanship cleared, as well. Osada has yet to bring the second letter, but the name of his heir was disclosed to the press today."

A paper she hadn't noticed in his hand made its way to her own hands, and she stared at the words on the paper.

"MURAKAMI INDUSTRIES HEIR FOUND!"

**Or should we say, Heiress. While it was once believed that the late Sudao Murakami, age 96, was the last of his noble lineage, there was in fact, one remaining family member. However, we were surprised to discover the identity of this elusive blood relative. The child of his late granddaughter, a Miss Haruhi Fujioka, is still alive, and lives with her father, Ryuuchi Fujioka. Haruhi Fujioka was raised in a common household, and received excellent grades throughout her schooling, even receiving a scholarship to attend our famous Ouran Academy. When trying to obtain an interview with Haruhi Fujioka, we were informed by an unnamed source that she had been hospitalized from a tragic car accident involving a young Kyoya Ootori. Is this a cooperate scandal, or was her accident just a coincidence?**

"They…they released my name?"

Haruhi asked, stunned. Not only did they release her name, but her gender. There was no way she was lucky enough that no one at Ouran had bothered to read the headline news. This was going to devastate the Host Club. Not only that, but they also included Kyoya into it.

"Yes. I wasn't able to retract it from the press quickly enough, so some copies did get out. But, these things happen, and we are prepared to counteract the press."

Kyoya looked at his father. He had already read the story in the paper, and hadn't been affected much by what it had to say. It only said that the accident 'included' him, not that he had caused it, or any slandering nonsense that could harm the family business. But what was his father talking about when he said he had a plan to counteract the press?

"What do you mean?"

Kyoya asked him calmly. Yoshio looked at him, a rather cold smirk on his face.

"Simple. Haruhi will be eaten alive if we cast her out to the sharks, so we shall keep her safe and pad the blows, shall we say?"

"I'm not quite sure I understand, Yoshio-san,"

Haruhi said, confused,

"wouldn't the only way to counteract the press be to tell them that nothing happened?"

"Oh, no, Haruhi-san, your injuries aren't negotiable. No, we will tell them, instead, that you are involving yourself and your industries with our own. That way, any negative publicity is avoided."

There was a reason that Yoshio Ootori was the head of the Ootori industries, and why they were feared. He was a great public arouser, a strong business man, and he never was without a plan to better his own company.

xxx

The reconstructive surgery on her legs was a success; there were no scars to speak of, no bruises marring her legs, and no unneeded bandages, only taking a week to completely heal. The only draw back was that her leg muscles were still weak from the surgeries and the lack of use, but she could walk well enough.

Hikaru and Kaoru came every day, providing her with company and her homework, and helping her with her school work as much as they could. Kyoya would come in the evenings, after they left, and assist her with the rest, acting as a private tutor.

He was a rather cold teacher, though.

"I'm glad your dream was to run a business and not become a teacher, Kyoya-senpai,"

Haruhi sighed as they finished with her calculus homework. They were seated at his desk, Haruhi having pulled up a chair from the other side of the room. He looked at her blandly, throwing away the scratch paper he'd used to show her why she was completely wrong when it came to calculating sin and cosine.

"In a business, you teach just as much as a teacher would, only in different subjects,"

he countered. She stuffed her book into her bag she kept everything in, and put her pencil back in Kyoya's holder for tomorrow.

"Yes, but when it comes to having to teach grown men and children, I think you'd make both of them cry."

He chuckled dryly at her comment, running a hand through his hair. They'd been throwing coy insults at one another, ever since Kyoya had checked up on her the first night she'd been brought her home work by the twins.

She had never hated math so much in her life, never wanted to throw her text book on the floor and denounce math and numbers from her life.

"How am I supposted to solve equations I don't have the first clue as how to start?" She asked herself. Hikaru and Kaoru had been unable to help, since they had opted to take Trigonometry instead of Calculus. She'd read and re-read all of the examples, gotten some of the answers from the back of the book and tried to work them out from there, but it was impossible.

And to top it off, it was nearly two in the morning. Not only was she exhausted trying to do math, but now she was aggravated.

"Is there a reason you are talking to your text book, Haruhi?"

Came a voice from the side door. A disheveled Kyoya stood at the door, wearing a wife beater and a pair of lounge pants. She vaguely remembered the last time she had seen Kyoya dressed so unprofessionally, when they had stayed at the beach.

"No, because it obviously won't talk back and help me."

He came over and sat down on the edge of the bed, taking the book from her and looking at what problem she was stuck at.

"Would you like me to help you?"

Kyoya offered.

"It's 2 in the morning, you really should be sleeping."

He took her pencil from the night stand, and started scratching out the numbers from the problem on another sheet of paper. She watched as he took nearly half of the page, pausing to calculate in his head and checking on paper to make sure he was correct. When he was done, he handed it to her.

"Simple."

She checked the answer in the back of the book. They matched. Kyoya sat there, slightly dazed and his face neutral.

"Should I call you Kyoya-sensei from now on?"

Haruhi asked innocently. She didn't want to know what images arose from his mind being too tired to fend off the innuendos that came from those words.

"Only if you think you're able enough to be taught by me, Haruhi-chan."

Kyoya seemed much more agreeable when he was tired. That is, only before he went to sleep.

xxx

"Hn,"

Kyoya answered. He'd grown used to his tutoring easily running into the witching hours, and hearing the house in complete silence. Now was when he felt truly at peace, because he didn't feel the need to talk in hushed tones in fear that the maids were listening in.

Thank you again, Kyoya-senpai, or rather, sensei."

Without thinking, he snorted and said,

"Must you always use formalities with me, Haruhi? I am no longer your senpai, and you are living in my home and are in my quarters every night."

Haruhi wasn't sure how to respond to that. Kyoya wasn't sure how or why that had come out of his mouth.

"I guess you are right, Kyoya." Haruhi said slowly, feeling the syllables of his name fall off of her tongue without any formalities attached. It felt strange. Everything felt strange these days.

With everything changing, she wondered how much more she could bend and flex before she finally snapped.


	4. Cadit quaestio

Disclaimer: This story? Mine. Ouran High School Host Club? Not mine.

THANK YOU:

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xxx

During the day, Kyoya entrusted Haruhi with the duty of entertaining herself. She was old enough to know that leaving the house was a no-no, accepting rides from strangers was not tolerable, and the windows were not replacements for doors. He didn't feel the need to remind her that the colorful bottles under the sinks were not liquid refreshments, either.

Haruhi wasn't keen on the idea of being cooped up in a single room like a caged bird, nor did she want to disturb Kyoya while he attended to his work. She had asked him why he wasn't in college right now, and he'd informed her that for a year after they graduate, they help out with the family business to ascertain the feel of handling the real business as well as if the Ootori family company was their dream. Seeing as it was a family run company, anyways, college courses were not mandatory to take over as the head Ootori.

So, she contented herself to roaming the hallways and peeking behind closed doors. Never in her life did she think she would come across a home with five fully stocked libraries, well maintained and packed with every single book she could think of. Even with these libraries at her finger tips, she could not claim one of them as her favorite spot in the house, nor the fully stocked gyms or indoor volleyball court with sand imported from Hawaii and Fiji.

No. The room with the most claim on her affections was located near the back of the house, in a glass ceiling room. The sunshine was filtered through the long, broad leaves of authentic palm trees and tropical forest plants. The glass walls had vines growing on bamboo beams, providing a beautiful privacy barrier with colorful flowers intertwining. The pool was an artistic masterpiece, a flower made of colorful mosaics at the bottom giving it a unique flair, as well as a small waterfall connected to a rock base. Upon inspecting the room further, she had discovered a hidden area with a small wrought iron table and two matching chairs. It was hidden behind palm leaves and flowers, and shaded wonderfully.

She had taken to bringing her school books here and studying while Kyoya was incapacitated with business. The calm sound of the waterfall helped to ebb away the stress she had incurred all at once in her life.

"It took me nearly half an hour to find you, Haruhi,"

a voice said from behind her.

"You could have at least told me where you were going, or answered your phone."

She looked up at Kyoya, silhouetted by a slight beam of sunlight edging through the vines. He was dressed in casual attire, which was taking Haruhi quite a while to become accustomed to. He dressed in a pair of black shorts and a fitted red polo, barefooted on the cool rocks. Haruhi dressed in the clothes that her father had packed for her before he left on his trip. Today, a small yellow sundress seemed appropriate.

"I'm sorry, Kyoya. Maybe you should just put a tracker on me to monitor my every movement?"

Haruhi jeered. As inhumane as the idea was, injecting a tracer underneath her skin so that he wouldn't have to worry about where she was seemed useful, though his sanity might be questioned by people who don't understand how aggravating Haruhi's tendency to wander around was.

Haruhi looked at him incredulously; was he actually taking her sarcasm seriously?

"I wasn't serious, you know,"

she said. The last thing she wanted was a cold piece of metal injected under her skin that would deplete the little amount of privacy she had left. Recently, she didn't even have her own life to comfort her. Everything was misconstrued, foreign.

She felt like she had been stripped from her own life and forced into a new one, with a cold and sterile feel. Why had she been dredged from her rather comfortable life, and strewn across the examination table for the world to slander and ridicule? Why couldn't her great grandfather have left her out of his will and left the business to someone else who actually wanted their life to involve running a company and lying to thousands of faces?

Haruhi was withdrawn into her own mind, not noticing Kyoya pull up a chair beside her. The sky about was beginning to grow overcast, the mid afternoon gray skies casting shadows in through the glass ceiling, and ebbing a calm between the two. The book Haruhi had laid on the table appeared to be an ordinary text book for her English class, and he really did have to admit she was a diligent pupil. Most students would have taken the time to rest and enjoy their time off, but Haruhi didn't seem to think that was a plausible option. He recalled how she had mentioned her father wanting to see her at the top of the class, and he could only assume he was her motivation. Seeing him eying her text book, she slid it closer to her defensively.

"I don't want to fall too far behind…"

Haruhi reasoned, looking down at her bare feet. Kyoya's face remained mellow and casual, aside from a slightly arched brow.

"If I'm correct, then you're still at the top of your class. Rest while you can."

They both knew the implied meaning of those words. 'Rest while you can'.

Before the onslaught of your new life begins. Before you are forced to face the people you've fooled all of these years into thinking you were a boy. Before your dreams will never become reality. Haruhi nodded in acknowledgement, trying not to let her concern show through to her face.

"Kyoya?"

She asked after a few minutes of silence. His eyes flicked to her from gazing at the waterfall.

"What was Sudao like?"

The question had remained unspoken on the tip of her tongue for days, but she never felt right to ask anyone. Haruhi wasn't even sure if she wanted to know the answer, seeing as her father had done his job in keeping him away from her.

"Murakami-san was kinder than a man of his stature should be. I've known him since I was a child. He always had a soft spot for young children, which is why he opened up a Children's Clinic with my father. He was respectable,"

Kyoya finished on a positive note, seeing Haruhi's face soften slightly. Seeing her so tense and sullen caused him to worry, which he would put to the back of his mind, which had a tendency to weave its way back to the main concern at hand. It irked him, to be lying in bed at night and trying to imagine how he would react, rounding back on himself and scolding his wandering mind; trying to focus on paperwork had never been so difficult. Why did her situation bother him so badly?

'It's one thing you've never had to plan for. You didn't see it coming.'

This was one more thing that made Haruhi an anomaly, an enigma to his practical mind. How many times had this girl turned him around in his tracks with her blunt honesty and keen perception? He could remember times when he was still in school when he wasn't able to determine whether or not he hated her, because of her ability to undermine him so casually. He figured it out quite quickly, after roaming the commoner mall with her after being dragged by his 'friends' to the mall to learn how Haruhi lived; he didn't hate her in the slightest, because she was a mental rival whom he could have a conversation with that didn't consist of trivial nonsense.

Contented, Haruhi leaned back in her chair, casting her gaze to the now overcast sky, and to her, it looked wonderful. The sun had been shining for days, ever since the accident and she felt like maybe if something outside changed, she'd wake up and find this was nothing but a nightmare. A freakish, annoying, painful nightmare. smothing out her dress, she rose from the chair and descended down the stairs, leaving a curious Kyoya to tread behind her heels. Haruhi took a seat at the edge of the pool, and dipped her feet in, sighing lightly in relief.

"I think it's going to storm,"

Haruhi said casually as she glanced up to Kyoya. Logic told him he had pressing matters to attend to and should be dawdling at the pool side. Logic didn't win this time.

Kneeling down beside Haruhi, he settled beside her and let his feet rest in the cool water alongside hers. Feeling mischievous, he flicked his ankle at her, splashing her legs with water and making her gasp in shock. When she turned to him with accusing eyes he gave her a little smirk,

which of course made her splash him back, only not as kindly. She giggled as he shook his head for a moment, clearing the water droplets from his bangs and he looked to her, taking in her slight grin and how she was crouching, hand in the water and ready to splash him if he made any sudden movements.

"Haruhi-san, Kyoya-san, if I may interrupt?"

Called a voice from the door. Looking, they saw one of the few maids left on staff, an elderly woman, standing at the entrance.

"Yes, Miura-san?"

Kyoya asked politely.

"Your father requested Haruhi-san and yourself dress for dinner. He is expecting important guests this evening,"

She shot him a look of foreboding, not saying any more as she bowed slightly and hurried out to attend to other matters. Kyoya looked back at Haruhi, and suddenly his mind clicked;

A formal dinner required formal clothing, which he had an ample amount of, but which Haruhi didn't possess. His sister had donated most of her clothing after she left to live with her new husband, so she wouldn't have left any formal gowns here. Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and hit a number on speed dial, waiting for the click and the

"Helloooo, Kyoya-senpai!"  
"How are you, senpai?"

Holding the phone slightly away from his ear, he began the trek towards his own room, glancing back briefly at Haruhi for her to follow.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm not calling for pleasure,"

Kyoya began.

"You never do, senpai!"  
"Yah, why not call just to remind us you're thinking of us?"

Rolling his eyes, he looked down as Haruhi caught up to him and gave him a curious glance upward.

'Hikaru and Kaoru', Kyoya mouthed.

"Yes, I apologize. However, I'm in need of your services. Haruhi is in need of formal wear and she had none at the ready. I need you to bring something within the hour."

"Were on it!"

Both twins shouted before hanging up. It had been a spur of the moment decision to recruit the twins, but then again, they were his best option, already knowing Haruhi's measurements (most of them, anyway), and having access to fashionable pieces of clothing.

"I can't believe this,"

Haruhi complained. Staying optimistic in such a world where tranquility didn't exist was damn near impossible these days. And now she was going to be all dolled up by the twins, and forced into the public eye when she can hardly walk and is now the most infamous celebrity, being "dredged up" from the throngs of commoners.

Somehow, she managed to stifle the sigh of complete and utter exhaustion, and turned the handle to her room, looking at Kyoya to see if he was going to follow her inside.

He did. Shutting the door behind him, Kyoya watched as she sat on her bed, watched her finger the soft cotton that was now going to harbor some rather drab memories. Kyoya wasn't in a fair position, either, but he was certainly more accustomed to having to deal with clients and the pressure of their presence. He knew this was only to see the new Heir to Murakami industries, to strike quick alliances with the new power so they themselves could rise to power.

"It'll be fine, Haruhi. Just pretend it's another Host Club performance and you won't be mauled by the wolves."

"What is with you and your father and your animalistic metaphors for me?"

Haruhi asked suddenly, looking at him through slightly narrowed eyes. Slightly taken aback, Kyoya wasn't quite sure how to reply. He hadn't even realized he'd picked up his fathers old habit of using animalistic metaphors to show what kind of situation someone had gotten themselves into.

Seeing Kyoya clench his jaw slightly, chewing on his tongue for a reply, Haruhi realized what she had said. She'd been impolite when all he'd been doing was attempting to quell any doubts or fears she might have had. The idea of having to make her debut, albeit a small one, wasn't what bothered her. It was the questions she and Kyoya and Toshiro would be subjected to. She didn't want to say anything that might compromise either of their positions.

"S-sorry, Kyoya. I didn't mean to snap at you…" she said slowly, leaning forward as she chose her words carefully.

"Being a rabbit in a wolfs den isn't good for the nerves."

Analogies weren't really her thing, but she tried for his behalf. A small smirk stretched across his lips, and he tried to keep the barrier he put up whenever someone insulted him from building up. After all, he had been doing so well to keep it down for her, due to her situation, of course. And his.

"It's alright. Hikaru and Kaoru should arrive soon. I suggest you do whatever you must before they arrive, because I doubt you'll be given the courtesy of privacy once that happens."

Nodding her head, she watched as Kyoya used the door between their rooms, and watched it click shut. She could only assume he was going to get ready. Taking his advice, she stepped into the bathroom and washed quickly, cleaning her hair and her teeth. Make up was part of the Hitachiin package, so she left her face clear. A knock at the door alerted her that they were here, and when they both barged in with boxes in their hands, she was glad she'd changed in the bathroom.

"Hello, Haruhi!"

Hikaru chimed, tossing his boxes onto the bed. Kaoru did the same and they both walked to her, grasping her in their embrace.

"We get to play the 'dress up Haruhi' game!"

Kaoru finished as they let her go, walking circles around her. As much as they loved joking, they took fashion seriously.

"Hi Hikaru, Kaoru. Thanks for coming to help with-"

"No no no, Haruhi! No thank you's, we love playing dress up with you."  
"Yes, your are our favorite doll to play with," Hikaru added,

"And we were bored."

They both finished. She nodded as they went to work, knowing that they enjoyed any form of manipulation, be it physical or mental or emotional. Kaoru pulled the biggest box off of the bed, a blue one, and opened the lid.

"This is one of my mama's favorites. She designed it when she went to Europe for an expo. We thought you'd like it,"

Hikaru explained as Kaoru pulled it out of the box. A moment of fear caused a chill to snake it's way up her spine, as she had seen some of their mothers more 'frivolous' creations. This one, however, she simply adored. It was a pale lavender color, strapless with purple lace on the very top, coming down slightly in a loose triangle, a ribbon of the same rich purple shade tied under the bosom. From the waist down, light see-through chiffon ruffles cascaded to the floor, edged with the dark purple trim. Her modesty was maintained with the lavender lining under the dress. She looked ethereal, divine, and so light and fresh, Hikaru and Kaoru summed up to her as they looked her up and down.

"Now, your favorite part, Haruhi,"

Hikaru teased as he pulled a blush brush from out of nowhere. With sly grins, the twins approached her, reveling in their evident sarcasm and the look of dread on Haruhi's face.

She hated make-up.

When they finished, she had never been more beautiful in her life. Or rather, they had never seen her more beautiful, but they were fairly sure that this was the one moment that she could make any boys jaw drop without the question of her gender. Her eyes were lined lightly with brown liner, lips slightly rosy and shining, and her eyes were accented with mascara and light brown shadow to make the amber flecks in her eyes sparkle. Her hair had been another problem, however. This dress didn't work well with short hair, so they resorted to the use of a hair piece, attaching it with a purple hair clip with a small gold and amethyst encrusted feather on it the size of her index finger. They rolled her hair into a long bun, styled slightly to the side for elegance.

Haruhi looked at herself in the mirror, swishing her bangs lightly out of her face. She wasn't one for vanity, but as she looked at the girl in the mirror, she had to admit that she looked beautiful. She only hoped that the ruse that Hikaru and Kaoru had created from her appearance would be enough to get her through the night.

A light rap on the conjoining door and a muffled "are you decent yet?" came from the other side, alerting them of Kyoya's presence. The twins gave her a slight hug, grinning at her and wishing her luck before they opened the door for Kyoya, grinning to him and patting his shoulder.

"You sure you want to escort Haruhi?" Kaoru asked slyly.

"Yah, we'd be glad to take her off of your hands for the night," Hikaru added. Kyoya looked at them, confused, and glanced to Haruhi for the four-one-one. All that came out from his fumbling lips was,

"Wh-…ho-…Haruhi?"

Kyoya could have kicked himself for his moment of temporary stupidity as the twins sniggered and said their goodbyes, leaving to find something else to entertain them. Kyoya looked Haruhi up and down; as he found himself doing a lot lately, and was shocked by what he found waiting for him in the conjoining room. Grateful, but shocked. She didn't look like a tomboy, a boy, or even a girl. She looked every bit the woman she had become in the past seventeen years, standing shyly with her hands fidgeting in front of her.

"Am I… presentable?" Haruhi asked quietly. She wasn't sure if his analytical stare was something she should be worried about, or flattered about. She hadn't really expected a compliment; it wasn't Kyoya's style to go about giving people words of praise. If anything, she expected a-

"You look wonderful, Haruhi. I'm sure father will be in for a surprise."

Well, certainly not that.

'Did he really just…compliment me?'

"Oh, thank you, I guess." Words failed her at the moment as she touched her lightly powdered cheek, making sure it was still her face she was feeling and not someone else's who had taken it's place. Sure enough, it felt like her own skin, at least.

"Yes. Father sent a maid to tell me to escort you down soon, the guests are almost all here and he'd like to get dinner started before they have a chance to corner you with questions."

He offered her his arm, which she took, and he led her out of the room and down the flight of stairs, into the dining area. Since they had not dined together since her arrival, this was one part of the house Haruhi had yet to explore, and was taken aback by how elegant the room was. Silver dishes and china sat on the long, white dressed table which the maids were beginning to fill with orderves and drinks. A small group of people stood off to the side, and included was Yoshiro and Kyoya's eldest brother she recognized from the hospital, Itoshi, with a beautiful woman on his arm.

"That's Itoshi's wife, Adelia, and their daughter, Kazue." Kyoya told her softly, nodding to his brother who looked at him with a small smirk.

"Ah, Kyoya, and Haruhi-san, what a delight to see you both here, together," Yoshio emphasized as he strolled toward them, the rest of their company following, staring at the girl in wonder. Haruhi placed the kindest Host Club smile she could manage on her face, squeezing Kyoya's bicep lightly in apprehension.

"It's a pleasure to see you as well, Yoshio-san, Itoshi-san. It is a pleasure to meet all of you, as well," she greeted, taking Yoshios hand as he kissed her on the cheek slightly.

"Like chum to the sharks, Haruhi, just bop one on the nose and they'll tuck their fins back where they belong." Yoshio whispered in her ear before turning and patting his son on the shoulder.

"Itoshi was just telling us how successful your rehabilitation has been going so far, Haruhi-san, and we are all glad to know you are well," Adelia said with a small smile as she came to stand closer to the family with her husband.

"Thank you, Adelia-san, your concern is appreciated, and I am glad to meet you, as well as Kazue-san," she looked down to the small girl, hardly seven or eight years old, standing calmly by her mothers leg. Haruhi flashed her a smile, and Kazue squinted at her for a moment before finally smiling and walking to Haruhi's side.

"I want to sit by you, Haruhi-chan!" Kazue said. The group chuckled slightly at her childish declaration, and the Ootori's looked a little surprised, though why was unbeknownst to Haruhi. The rest of the group introduced themselves, two middle-aged men, their wives, and an older couple. As dinner was finally about to be served, they all sat down and enjoyed their appetizers, Kazue taking her seat beside Haruhi, and Kyoya on her other side. The older couple sat in front of her, eyeing her every chance they possibly could.

"So, Haruhi-san, you must be thankful for the Ootori's and their generous hospitality," Tanaka-san in front of her said. As she sipped the soup in front of her, she gave him a small smile.

"Of course, Tanaka-san, Yoshio-san, Kyoya-san, and Itoshi-san have been wonderful to me, and have shown me kindness I hope to repay one day," she answered carefully. The calm look she saw on Kyoya's face told her she was doing well so far. Tanaka's eyes crinkled as he smiled at her, patting his wife's hand gently.

"Aah, but you did save Kyoya-san from that car accident, I'm sure Yoshio would spare no expense to see that you are well taken care of," he said, taking a sip of his wine,

"But I can assure I have a son who would take care of you and show you kindness as well."

She heard Kyoya nearly choke on the piece of bread he was about to swallow, and she knocked her hand into Kyoya's arm lightly.

"Thank you for your concern, and your matchmaking, Tanaka-san, if only all fathers were so eager to marry off their children,"

Yoshio jested, catching a small rise out of his company.

"Don't tell me you've already promised Haruhi-san to one of your own sons, Yoshio-san?"

One of the younger wives replied, smiling but listening carefully to the oncoming answer. Haruhi had no idea that wealthy people were so good at collecting answers through polite chatter.

"Though I find that Haruhi-san would make a pleasing daughter-in-law, like you, Adelia-san,"

Yoshio smiled to Ishio's wide, who nodded politely for him to continue,

"I find that the only person who is capable of finding a match for Haruhi if herself."

"Haruhi-chan, if you get married, can I be your flower girl?" Kazue said sweetly.

"Of course, Kazue-chan, though I hope you will allow me to hold you to it a few years from now."

As they laughed, dinner progressed and Haruhi answered the questions she had expected to hear with her pre-planned answers. Yoshio and Kyoya seemed pleased by how easily she met their glances, matched their wit, and calmly responded to any questions thrown at her.

"While we finish up with some champagne, why don't you take Haruhi-san and Kazue-chan out into the back garden, Kyoya?"

"Yes, father." Kyoya answered, standing up and offering his hand out to Haruhi politely, which she took. Kazue held on to Haruhi's free hand as she waved to her mother as they exited out into the garden.

The sun was just setting, illuminating the flowers that were still in bloom. White roses intermingled with red ones, and laced through the boshes that opened up to a fountain and black French styled benches on either side.

"Can I go find you a pretty flower?"

Kazue asked Haruhi.

"Of course, just don't go too far, okay?"

Nodding, Kazue skipped off to find a pretty flower she could give to Haruhi. Kyoya smirked at how easily Haruhi could handle children. He'd been surprised that Kazue had taken so easily to Haruhi and had become attached to her; Kazue didn't like many people, mainly everyone else aside from her immediate family. It had taken Kazue until her fifth birthday to finally warm up to Kyoya, though she simply adored her grandfather.

"Kazue-chan is so adorable, don't you think, Kyoya?"

Haruhi asked him in a small daze.

"When she is agreeable, yes. I'm glad she seems taken with you."

They took a seat on one of the benches, and Haruhi smoothed out the ruffles of her dress.

"Now I think I can understand a little more why you are so stressed all of the time, having to deal with those people," she said meekly.

"They were all rather agreeable compared to some of our other affiliates. Father took it easy on you tonight, selecting some of his more agreeable partners,"

He told her blandly. He had to admit, she had done very well holding her own. For a moment he had began to believe that she was completely comfortable chatting with everyone, until he had seen how tightly she was gripping the side of her chair when there was something to be said. Regardless, she held up splendidly. Kyoya was glad this had all passed by smoothly, as he looked back to see the elders sipping champagne and chatting in a group. He saw his father check his watch, alerting Kyoya that the gathering was almost over.

"All you've to get through now is the goodbyes, and you're done pretending for tonight. Just don't loose your slipper on the stairs, because I won't go looking for you to hand it back,"

He joked with her. For a moment the corners of her lips drooped, and he was convinced he had said something stupid, until she suddenly burst into laughter and had to hold onto his shoulder to stabilize herself from falling over. He grinned slightly as he watched her wipe a tear from her eye so she didn't ruin her make-up, and stood up with her in tow.

"K-Kyoya…haha! I'm no, no Cinderella!"

"You're right, your princes are married or far too old," he joked, sending her into another fit of laughter.

"I found one, do you like it?" Kazue said, running up with a flower in her hand. It was a lily, white in the center with purple edging the tips of the petals. Kyoya took it from Kazue, and placed it in the crook of her hair and the clip pinning it up.

"It's beautiful, Kazue-chan, thank you," Haruhi said, touching the flower lightly. Looking between Kyoya and Haruhi, Kazue cocked her head to the side, furrowing her slight brow.

"If you and Kyoya are wearing the same colors, does that mean your getting married?"

Haruhi looked at Kyoya, and down at his tie, which was a light lavender color, and down to her dress which nearly matched the tie. All she could do was blink.

"No, Kazue-chan, Haruhi-san and I aren't getting married,"

Kyoya said to her sweetly, kneeling down and whispering something into the little girls ear, looking up at Haruhi tauntingly. Kazue giggled, and zipped her lips, running towards the house and holding her moms hand. Haruhi looked to Kyoya closely, shielding her eyes from the sun setting behind him. As he turned his head, the sun shone past him, setting his eyes ablaze and lighting up the black sheen of his hair. He really did look beautiful.

"Ready to go inside, Haruhi?" Kyoya asked her. She shot him a narrow glance, replying,

"Are you that ready to feed me to the sharks again?"

Kyoya snorted at her show of wit.

"Does that mean I'm your life raft, then?" Kyoya retorted. They both sniggered at one other, Haruhi once again taking his extended arm and re-entering the dining room, where everyone was beginning to say their goodbyes.

"Don't forget about my son, Yusaru. If you're ever interested, make sure you come and have a little chat with me, eh Haruhi-san?" Tanaka said, winking as he shook her hand.

"Of course, Tanaka-san. Have a safe trip," she told him kindly. As the last of the guests left, she noticed that only Itoshi, Adelia, and Kazue remained, heading up the stairs to the sleeping quarters.

"Are they staying the night?" Haruhi questioned. Kyoya nodded, telling her that they were staying here over night before flying out to Korea for a business meeting.

Yoshio approached them, looking slightly worn but satisfied.

"You did well, taking them all on at once, Haruhi; I must thank you for remaining so delightful in a tense situation. I have to admit I wasn't sure if you could pull it off."

"It's not a problem. I have to become accustomed to it sooner or later, and I am glad you took me into consideration when you set this up."

He smiled at her, patting her arm lightly.

"Yes, well, I wasn't joking about having you as a daughter-in-law. If you and Kyoya were to tie the knot, I wouldn't be the least bit disappointed," he said, and winked to his son.

Was he drunk?

"Yes, father, I'm sure you wouldn't be. We're going to go to our rooms, good night."

"Yes, yes, your rooms, of course. Good night Haruhi, Kyoya." By the way he side stepped every three feet, they both knew Yoshio had accepted a little too much champagne. Haruhi couldn't help but smile slightly when she saw the look of dread etch its way onto Kyoya's usually stoic expression.

"It wasn't that embarrassing,"

Haruhi assured Kyoya once they closed the door to Kyoya's room. He proceeded to take of his suit jacket, loosening his tie as well and removing his shoes, tossing them into the closet.

"My father basically told me he wanted us to marry, and he was drunk. What more do you need to create embarrassment?" Kyoya said bitterly. Apparently he was taking the situation a little more seriously than she was, because it hadn't really fazed her.

Her father worked at a bar, she knew how alcohol could easily loosen up even the coldest and tied of tongues.

"Perhaps you had a little too much wine yourself, Kyoya," she told him as she took a seat on one of the side couches. He turned to look at her sharply, running a hand through his hair and removing his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Maybe," Kyoya agreed half-heartedly. From the look on his face, she knew there was something really bothering him.

"Is there something else wrong?" She asked him. He ignored her, continuing to fumble around the room, pulling out sleep clothes and finding a clean towel.

"Kyoya?" She asked again, watching as he walked to the door of his bathroom, his hand lingering on the handle.

"I'm going to bathe. We can speak once I'm finished." And with that, he entered the bathroom and she heard the sound of running water. Sighing, she went to her own room and changed out of the dress, careful not to rip or tear any of the fabric and checking it over for any stains. There were none. She changed into a pair of sleep shorts and a baggy shirt, and packed away the dress and the shoes that Hikaru and Kaoru had given her, careful with both of them. Re-entering Kyoya's room, she was greeted with nothing but silence, but Kyoya was nowhere to be found. Knocking on his bathroom door gently, she called his name through the door, and only received silence in response. The minutes she waited stirred up her curiosity, and she still received no response.

Turning the handle, she peeped inside, and walked in, turning the corner to see Kyoya lazing in the tub, his cheek resting on his arm that was on the side of the tub, gazing at her through half-lidded eyes.

"S-sorry, I knocked, but you-" She felt her face grow hot as she tried to cover her eyes in modesty.

"Sorry, I must not have heard. Come in." Kyoya said, monotone.

She just blinked at him like he was insane as she peeped through her fingers. She saw him smirk at her modesty, and lifted his dripping hand from the water to point at the chair his clothing and towel rested upon.

"You won't see anything indecent from there."

Unsure of what to do, whether she should just turn around and walk out and pretend this never happened, or to comply with his demand, she felt her feet slowly dragging her to the chair, hoping what he said was the truth. Thankfully, it was. The bath tub, or rather, what appeared to be a Jacuzzi, was raised off of the ground, and supported by two rows of tiled steps around the side of the tub that was not attached to the wall. There appeared to be bubbles, as well, and she felt her shoulders slacken and her blush fade lightly as she placed the folded towel on her lap and ignored the clothing strewn on the back of the chair.

"So will you tell me what's bothering you so much?" Haruhi asked him for a second time. Kyoya turned his head to her, blinking. Minutes passed and he just looked at her in silence.

"I heard one of the guests mention how great your coming out party should be. Apparently my father forgot to mention any of this to us, being intoxicated and all."

"Coming out party?" Haruhi repeated. "What do you mean by a coming out party?"

Kyoya sighed.

"You, coming out of the commoner lifestyle, and entering the world of business. It's just another time for people to get their names into your ears and your money in their pockets, basically."

"I see," she said slowly. Now she saw what had Kyoya so worked out of his usual cool and level state. Well, that and the four glasses of wine he had with dinner.

"And I get the pleasure of telling you from my own bath tub," Kyoya added sarcastically. Despite the situation, Haruhi couldn't help but laugh lightly.

Despite the situation, Haruhi couldn't help but feel another shred of her old life being chiseled off, and a new cold slab being plastered in its place.

xxx

Well now, that did take me a while to complete, due to the horrible, yet brilliant, invention of a thing called VIRTUAL SCHOOL.

You try having to take a three hour exam TWICE because somehow your exam was sent back all the way to 1969. And this manages to ONLY HAPPEN TO ME.

Here's your chapter. I hope you like it, because I find this one boring, but you have to have the boring parts before you get to the AWESOMETASTIC amazingness that is coming to you in the next few chapters.

Any one wondering what Tamaki is up to during all of this?

Get ready to find out, dearies.

REVIEW! Please…?


	5. Eo nomine

Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club IS NOT MINE. This story is mine. Well, technically. It belongs to you guys as well, because if you review, you're keeping me going.

=D

Okay, gushy moment over. Onto the story.

**Eo nomine** - _Under that name_

It's hard. She couldn't deny that. It's hard learning to be someone you're not, existing in an eerie calm that you know is going to burst. Staying quiet and meek when all you want is to do is scream until you aren't expected to talk anymore. She couldn't do that, however, sitting in a misty bathroom staring awkwardly to the side as Kyoya bathed, acting as if she wasn't even in the room.

Haruhi did enjoy the scent which drifted past her, and she vaguely recognized it.

"Velvet tuberose. It's calming for the senses," Kyoya explained vaguely as he slowly washed an arm.

'It's as if he can read my mind all of the time,' she thought to herself and tried to figure out how it was he always knew what was on her mind.

"You're too easy to read, Haruhi. It's written on your face." She saw the slight smirk he gave her, and felt her lips turn downward in response.

"You always seem to know what I'm thinking," she told him blandly.

"An old habit," he said, passing it off as he washed the other one.

"A habit I'd hoped you'd have lost by now," she said, pouting slightly and looking away even more to stare at a painting of a pinwheel with little buildings on each blade. Industrialism destroying the environment? She didn't find it to be Kyoya style, but then again he might not have chosen to put it there in the first place.

Following her gaze, he craned his neck to look at the painting, looking back at her curious expression.

"Simplicity leads way to complications and intricacy, which can be good or bad depending on the viewers' experiences."

Haruhi made an 'oh' with her mouth, sighing.

"An interesting way to look at it, I suppose," she said to him. He nodded, and continued relaxing in the bath.

"Hand me my towel," Kyoya said to her suddenly.

"W-what?" Haruhi stuttered, looking to the towel in her lap and Kyoya, who was situating himself to stand up.

"Would you rather I come and retrieve it myself, then?" Kyoya teased, flicking his damp hair from his eyes. She ignored the implied meaning and the searing taunt playing in his eyes. Frigidly, she stood with her head turned to the side, stretching out her arm to hand him the towel in the general vicinity she figured he'd come to.

A splash and a warm, wet hand let her know Kyoya was completely out of the bath and exposed to her. She asked herself how she managed to get herself in such compromising situations, and smacked her forehead for even bothering to get out of bed in the morning, hoping for a normal day.

With the town hung loosely around his hips, Kyoya retrieved his clothes from the chair, and slid on his sleep pants underneath the towel, slinging the shirt over his shoulder and using the towel to wipe his hair.

"So modest, Haruhi, even in private. Commendable," he said as he walked by, opening the door to his bedroom. She stared at his well toned back as she followed him, seemingly ignoring any snide comments he passed at her in his slightly drunken stupor. If she didn't reply, he'd probably feel stupider in the morning.

As he turned and faced her, she looked down, and saw that he wasn't just trim, he was lightly muscled, something she hadn't expected or remembered from the times of seeing him in a swimsuit. Following her eyes again, he let a cold smirk jerk his lips slightly upward, tilting his head up slightly and looking down at her.

"Perhaps I was mistaken about being able to see into the bath from my chair."

"N-no, I couldn't see anything, I wasn't looking anyways."

"From how you're gazing at me now, I'd say you were disappointed about that."

She looked at him stupidly. Disappointed? About what?

"I think you should get some sleep, Kyoya. I'll see you in the morning," Haruhi said, trying to save herself from his drunken accusations. Easing her way to the door, she turned the handle and yanked it open, looking at him standing there blankly before closing it and retiring to bed.

He stood there, staring at the door she just left from. The light fuzziness in his brain urged him to follow her and try to squeeze some admittance out of her as to her intentions, but rationally he knew it was just the wine talking and not he, making him feel slightly embarrassed.

Ootori's were not supposted to be light weights when it came to alcohol, yet both him and his father had proven this completely incorrect. His brother had seemed to maintain a cool composure, though his wife had surely kept him in check throughout the night, knowing how Itoshi could drink wine like water. He decided the best thing to do was just go to sleep and handle anything he'd stirred up with Haruhi in the morning.

xxx

It neared two in the morning, and she could hear the faint crackle outside of her window. Her hand gripped the pillow tightly, nearly squeezing the soft material inside to death.

Thunder storm.

Deftly she looked for somewhere to hide as she sat stalk upright in bed as another crack came from the distance. Yet, another noise caught her attention, the slight 'tmp' 'tmp' outside in the hallway, and what sounded like a slight whimper.

"Do they even have a dog?" She asked herself. Trying to imagine Kyoya with any kind of pet aside from a snake just didn't seem correct. If it couldn't have prey to play with, it wasn't exactly fitting for him. She braced herself as the sound stopped at her door, and she saw the door knob turn slowly to the right. She hadn't locked her door.

"Haru-chan…?"

A scared, sleepy voice came from the door. As the door opened slowly, she saw a teddy toting Kazue, gripping it tightly with one arm to her chest. Her light blonde hair that she inherited from her mother was slightly mussed from sleep, and she was in her little pink silk nightgown that probably cost more that half of Haruhi's wardrobe put together.

"Is everything alright, Kazue?" Haruhi asked.

"May I come in?" Kazue asked politely, standing awkwardly at the door. Nodding to the girl, she watched as Kazue padded her way to the bed, pulling herself up and huddling next to Haruhi in her bed.

"I don't like thunder…" the little girl admitted, flinching as the thunder grew closer and they could hear the low rumble coming toward the house. She smiled, rubbing her hand on Kazue's back.

"It's alright, I'm scared of thunder too. It's alright to be afraid of things sometimes," she told her. She slightly felt like she was lying through her teeth, because she scolded herself after every thunderstorm for acting so childish. Kazue was a child, however, and deserved to act like one. A sudden boom of thunder had them screaming, clinging to one another.

"I want kyo-chan," Kazue sniffled, grabbing Haruhi's hand and jolting her out of the bed as she headed for the door leading to his room. She'd been in the room before, and the door had not been there, and could only assume it led to Kyoya's.

"W-wait, Kazue-" Haruhi stuttered before another sudden flash of lightning and the aftershock of thunder struck, freezing her in the spot. She was standing before the door, Kazue clinging to her leg, and the closet was all the way across the room.

In a split decision, she grabbed the door handle and turned it, praying to whoever created them that her legs wouldn't give out. She figured she would get Kazue to Kyoya, and make her way to the nearest closet. She really hoped the mixture of alcohol and being woken before noon wouldn't cause him to turn down even little Kazue.

Picking up Kazue, she placed her under the sheets, looking to the stirring Kyoya as she pulled the blankets to her chin and turned away to go to the closet.

"Haru-chan," Kazue whined, grabbing on to her hand. "Please don't leave me!"

Haruhi hushed her, seeing Kyoya's eyelids flutter.

"You'll be safe with Kyoya, and I'm fine-"

Thunder boomed, shaking the house and the floor beneath her toes. In an instant, she was leaping onto the bed. Kyoya sat up when he heard Haruhi and Kazue talking beside him, to see what was going on while he was asleep, only to feel a body clinging tightly to his own and whimpering. His eyes shot awake, seeing Kazue hiding her face in his pillow, and looking down to see who was shivering in his lap.

Oh. Haruhi. She was curled up with her arms around his bare torso, eyes squeezed shut and cradled in his open lap. He'd forgotten she was pathologically afraid of thunder.

"What are you doing?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer. He watched with inner amusement as she looked up at him in shock, quickly drawing back her arms.

"We're scared, Kyo-chan…" Kazue murmured from the pillow. Her she was accustomed to jumping in his bed in the middle of the night. Haruhi, however, was another case. Knowing that she would go sleep in a closet or under a table or bed, he knew he couldn't just tell her to leave. Besides, that could spur a grudge that would put him out of favor with her.

He scooted over in the bed, leaving room for Haruhi in the middle. If he was going to be a 'good guy', he was going to watch as she squirmed doing it.

Looking from Kyoya to the open spot, she sighed inwardly. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol trying to make a pass at her, or if he was sober enough to enjoy watching her discomfort, but she felt it was a mixture of both. Drunk or not this was still Kyoya.

"Lie down and go to sleep," he ordered her, laying down and turning his face towards the inside of the bed, just to see her squirm a bit more. Nestling under the blankets, Haruhi lay on her back, Kazue cuddling up and holding onto Haruhi's arm as she dozed off. Minutes passed, and Haruhi didn't dare even look over to see if Kyoya was still awake. His breathing sounded even and deep, she could feel him breathing on the mattress. Tilting her eyes slightly to the side, she saw his eyes closed, and his lips parted slightly. He looked tranquil and handsome as he slept, and she grinned a little to herself, knowing that he at least looked Human at one point in his life.

"Thank you, Kyoya," she whispered as she drifted off to sleep again. She didn't see his lips quirk slightly to the left after she said that.

Morning broke, the skies slightly overcast and sending just a few slivers of light through the open curtains of Kyoya's room. In his sleepy daze, he couldn't remember ever pulling back those damned curtains, nor would he have any instigation to. Haruhi didn't really go outside, so he never had to watch her or anything. He lifted his head off of his pillow to go close the drapes and get some more sleep, but something kept him pinned to the bed, and it was wrapped over his torso. Looking down, he saw a mop of chocolate colored hair lying on his arm, the torso dressed in shorts and a baggy shirt curled towards his own body in an effort to retain some type of warmth as the blankets shifted off of their own. Then it clicked.

Thunderstorm, Haruhi and Kazue scrambling into his bed. The only problem was they were minus one Kazue, which meant either she had woken up and simply left, which was not her style in the least, or someone came and retrieved her from his bed. That meant they saw him and Haruhi , cuddled up together in the same bed. His hands made their way to his temples, massaging away a hangover combined with an oncoming headache.

'Women are more trouble than they're worth,' he surmised. Looking down at Haruhi again, he slightly took back those thoughts. Slightly. As he managed to get out of her sleepy death grip on his arm, he saw something resting on his night stand, face down.

Picking it up, it was an edited photo of him and Haruhi cuddled together, her head nuzzled right underneath his and apparently they were a little closer than he would have thought, his arm wrapped protectively around Haruhi's slender waist. Kazue was on the edge of the bed, cuddled up to Binx, her teddy bear.

'What a great picture for our Christmas cards, ne?' Was scribbled on the bottom. It was Itoshi's handwriting.

Even with the urge to suddenly pummel his brother, which he wasn't sure was possible, he had to admit he wasn't going to get rid of the photo, putting it in the nightstand drawer and closing it as he saw Haruhi stirring from the light shining on her closed eyelids.

"About time you woke up," Kyoya taunted the sleeping girl beside him. She bolted upright, twisting her head to look at him with an expression blended with shock and sleep.

With an arm holding up the blanket to her chest, she made sure she was still fully clothed and gave a little sigh of relief as her memory slowly came back to her.

"I'm sorry about last night," she apologized quickly, scooting herself to the edge of the bed and trying to get herself untangled from the bed sheets. Languidly, Kyoya moved from the bed and popped the knots from his back, flicking his eyes in her direction as she watched him awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"I expect my brother and his family have already left, seeing as it's almost noon," he told her as he padded over to his closet.

"Oh, right," she agreed. It felt strange just standing there and watching him pull his clothes from the closet to get ready for the day as if nothing had happened. As if she hadn't sat in the bathroom while he bathed or woken up only to have her clinging to him in desperation. As if she hadn't woken up in the middle of the night being held by Kyoya, who refused to let her go and pressed her tightly to him, her head rested in the crook of his neck. She'd fallen asleep to the drone of his even breathing, unaware that there was a small child right behind her, sleeping soundly as well.

She forced away a blush from the memory and kept her eyes glued to the blankets she'd sprawled on the ground in an effort to get away from him. Vaguely she wondered how many people had slept in that same bed aside from himself and his niece.

"Do you usually have visitors in your own room," she blurted out suddenly. He cocked an eye towards her, a perfectly shaped eyebrow arched in mock question.

"Are you asking me a personal question because you're genuinely concerned or is there some other influence," he retorted.

"Umm, I'm just curious, I guess," she countered quickly. Honestly, she didn't know why she was curious; it just seemed like a valid question. Though it was none of her business what went on behind Kyoya's closed doors, it seemed that he'd confided in her enough that he'd be able to answer such a simple question.

"My bedding is fresh, I assure you," he replied sarcastically, turning away as her eyes widened slowly. He went over to his desk, throwing on his tan shirt and sitting down at his desk to start working.

"So you've…" Haruhi started, dwindling off as her tongue pinched off the rest of her question.

"I've what?" Annoyed, he flipped over his laptop and swiveled his chair with a snap to face her. "Never mind." Haruhi walked toward the side door and disappeared behind it. This time she thought to flip the lock, and he heard it snap on the other side, sighing as he turned back to his laptop, glasses glinting from the screen.

"What a situation." The both sighed.

xxx

This morning, when no maids were bustling him out of bed or Antoinette rousing him from a pleasant slumber so that she could elicit attention,

Tamaki opened his eyes, looking around the room. Through half lidded eyes he saw that everything was in order, and Antoinette lay sleeping by his feet. The rather obnoxiously cute clock with a picture of his daughter as the face and her arms as the hands read that it was only 8 a.m. and he wasn't even due up until noon. Feeling her bedmate moving about, Antoinette perked up her tail and popped her head up, looking expectantly at Tamaki.

"Morning, girl. Sleep well?"

He asked. She responded by bounding toward him and licking his cheek happily, enjoying her masters silky laugh and the feel of her sides being scratched, but she wanted more that just her sides' scratched and tired smiles. Jumping off of the side of the bed, Antoinette pawed at the door and whimpered.

"Ah, you want to go out?"

Her puppy dog eyes gave him the only answer he needed. Tamaki pushed himself out of bed, hissing lightly as his feet brushed the cold floor. He hurried over to his closet, pulling out a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a well fitting light blue t-shirt, and a fitted white blazer, changing out of his pajamas and into them quickly. Brushing his teeth and hair in the bathroom, he came out and looked at Antoinette, smiling lightly as he opened the door and she bolted out, her claws clacking as she padded down the stairs and barked at the front door.

"Okay, okay Antoinette, I'm coming."

"Going out, Tamaki-san?"

A butler asked politely. Tamaki turned and smiled, acknowledging him with a nod.

"It's a beautiful day, so I believe I'll take Antoinette out on a morning walk."

With a smile, the butler nodded and continued to pace down the hallway to continue with his chores. Tamaki made his way to one of the side closets containing Antoinette's leashes and collars, pulling out her teal collar with the orange bow and teal leash and placing them on her. He walked her outside, enjoying the cool burst of morning air as he opened the front doors and stepped briskly down the stairs. The dew was still settled in the grass as he crossed through it to the garage where the cars are kept, enjoying the feel on his toes through his sandals. The keypad combination opened up the side door, lights overhead turning on as he entered the garage and selected the keys to his personal car. Tamaki let Antoinette into the back seat, hopping in the drivers seat and opening the garage door with the beeper inside. As they drove down the rocky pathway to the main road, Tamaki fiddled with the radio, settling on a smooth jazz station. Antoinette pawed at the door, asking Tamaki to open her window, which he obliged.

It had been at least a month since he had taken her out for a walk personally, and he missed having the time to himself where he wasn't being shuffled around by others and told where to go and who to greet. Antoinette never asked him to stand straight and smile past the accusing eyes, or to hold his tongue when an insult was passed his way.

Pulling up to the dog park, Tamaki was glad to see there were very few other cars around scattered sparsely around the outskirts of the park.

"Alright, we're here Antoinette!"

Tamaki told her happily as she yipped in agreement. He pocketed the keys and let Antoinette out, barely having time to step aside as she bounded out of the door and into the park.

"Antoinette! Darling don't run so fast!"

Tamaki shouted as he ran after her, skidding to a stop and heading back to shut the door before trying to catch up to her again. Her nose was to the ground as she pranced through the grass, disappearing behind the bushes near the small pond. Huffing lightly, Tamaki saw another figure approaching out of the corner of his eye, turning to look. Their face was glazed with apprehension and slight worry, catching Tamaki's eyes with their own and glaring lightly as they sped up to round the bush before Tamaki did, and stopping in their tracks.

He stopped right behind the newcomer, able to look clearly over their head to see Antoinette playing with what appeared to be a white and red husky.

"Charlie, playing with the girls, again?"

To Tamaki, Antoinette seemed to look at Charlie accusingly, nipping him on the hind end, causing him to lick her muzzle lightly.

"Ah, Antoinette you made a friend! How cute!"

Tamaki praised. Her ears perked at the familiar voice, and she turned to glance at him, but returned her attention to Charlie. Tamaki nearly shrank back in shock. The newcomer looked at Tamaki, scanning him up and down rather rudely.

"Oh, I'm sorry for not introducing myself sooner, I'm Tamaki, and this is Antoinette."

Standing at around 5'5 with pale blonde hair and grey eyes, Charlie's owner was extremely slender and slight with pale skin and an astonishing bone structure. He was sure that he had seen this man around before, his face seeming so eerily familiar to him, but the name just wouldn't form on the tip of his tongue.

"I'm, um, Naoki. He's Charlie. Sorry, he's got a nose for the women," he said, looking slightly awkward as he rubbed his right arm.

"Ah, but doesn't every man," Tamaki agreed happily. "Women are beautiful creatures, and every man can only dream to find the one intended for him. Charlie is only searching for the perfect mate."

"Uh, alright then. Sorry for interrupting your morning," Naoki apologized, yanking Charlie back with his collar and away from Antoinette who he'd been nipping at fondly.

"C'mon Charlie, will you at least let me have breakfast?"

Ever the charmer, Tamaki smiled and picked up Antoinette's leash from the ground.

"If you like, we could grab breakfast together. Antoinette doesn't have many friends, do you girl?"

She gave Naoki her best puppy dog eyes, sending Tamaki into a fit of pride on the inside, reminding himself to praise her later. Naoki looked strained, torn between giving an answer and the possibility of being impolite.

"Well," he began, but his eyes averted quickly to the side, and in a split second he could have sworn he saw anger swell up into the grey, swirling around with specks of dark black, before they calmed again in a second.

"That would be great." Tamaki beamed, looking to Antoinette who was wagging her tail as if she could understand the consent Naoki had just given. "Good, we can take my car if you don't mind?" He offered. With a nod, they were both off towards the car, Tamaki trying to strike up a small conversation on the short trek. When they were all packed up in the car, they decided to go to a small outdoor café that Tamaki knew served the best breakfast he'd had while dining out, and Naoki had no objections. Antoinette and Charlie curled up underneath the table, content with themselves as their masters decided on what to eat.

"So what is your profession, Naoki-san?" Tamaki asked politely over his menu. He saw the man twitch slightly in his seat, nearly dropping his menu.

"Part time modeling, I s'pose. Nothing important," trying to sound convincing and nonchalant. Suddenly, an image in his mind clicked; a cute girl with light hair and grey eyes sitting in the back of a car seat. It had been in one of his favorite fashion magazines, though he couldn't name the designer. She was one of his favorite models, so cute and innocent looking like his daughter.

"That's interesting, you look a lot like a model named Nao-chan," Tamaki dead panned. He watched Naoki's face turn red and his eyes avert down to the menu as his grasp tightened on the menu and his knuckles grew white.

"No idea what you're talking about," he passed off. Then he knew.

"You're the same person, aren't you?" Tamaki asked. He felt realization welling up inside of him, but he knew it could be bad if he over reacted now and jumped up to ask for an autograph; Antoinette seemed genuinely attached to the other man-girl-person's pet, Charlie. He watched Naoki run his hand over his face, his eyes turning from calm to sharp in an instant.

"Alright what of it?" He snapped, crossing his legs and slapping his menu down.

"Well, nothing, really, but you didn't have to give me an alias." Naoki sighed, resting his chin on his hand as he propped his elbow on the table. Absently he stroked Charlie's fur with his foot.

"Naoki isn't my alias, Nao-chan is."

"SO then, you're a guy dressing up as a girl?" Tamaki surmised. Truthfully, the idea would have shocked most people. His daughter, however, happened to be posing as a boy, and her father was a cross dresser. He was immune.

"What, you're not going to freak out and tell me what I do is wrong?" Naoki said bitterly. It was obvious he was used to people reacting negatively whenever he mentioned who he really was, or at least that's how Naoki thought people would react.

"My lovely daughter Haruhi poses as a man to hide her loveliness every day, and her father poses as a woman. What is wrong with dressing how you like if it makes you happy?" Naoki looked at him weirdly, completely confused.

"Well, she's not really my daughter by blood; I'm too young to have any real children."

The waitress came then, and took their orders. Tamaki told her that he would pay for their meals and only smiled when Naoki looked at him. When she walked away, he said

"I'm capable of paying my own way; you don't need to waste your money on me."

"I don't consider it wasting if I'm offering to pay, Naoki-san, it's my pleasure."

He smiled to the unconvinced boy. They sat in silence, Tamaki happily sipping his commoner coffee, when Naoki finally spoke up.

"You said the name Haruhi, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. Do you know her?" Naoki was small, but he looked a little too old to have been a classmate of Haruhi's when she was younger, and he would have recognized him from school if he attended Ouran.

"No, I just hear Hikaru and Kaoru speaking of her frequently. They use me to make her clothes."

"You know Hikaru and Kaoru?" Tamaki nearly shouted, spilling some of the hot coffee on the ground. Antoinette glared up at him as it missed her tail by mere millimeters. He sent her a look of apology before turning back to the staring boy.

"I work for their mother. She hadn't needed any male models and offered instead to take me on as a female model for her clothing lines."

Eyes glowing, he realized how much of a connection he had with someone he had believed to be a complete stranger. He loved when strange things came out from nowhere and thought that this one was one of the strangest coincidences he had come across in a while.

"How strange, Hikaru and Kaoru were in the Host Club with me, but I haven't heard them speak of you. What a small world, eh?"

"Wait, so then you're Tamaki Suoh, the past President of the Host Club?"

"Yes, I am certainly the Tamaki Suoh. I am so glad that my name has reached out beyond the schools patrons and to those who have not visited our humble club, it is an honor to be so famous and adored!"

Naoki blinked.

"Cut the crap, who said anything about adoring, anyway?" Tamaki blinked, his face growing sad and rejected.

"I just know of you because they tell me all the ways they press your buttons every day." He told him with a shrug of his shoulders. The waitress brought their food, and he took a bite of his eggs.

Tamaki's jaw was still hovering near the ground and tears were welling up in his eyes as Naoki looked at him indifferently.

"You mean you haven't heard great and honorable things about me?"

"Nope," he said, taking another bite, "just that you're overly dramatic and easy to rile up. Looks like that much was true. Seriously, calm down."

They continued eating in silence, Tamaki biting his fork and looking like a lost puppy in Naoki's direction every now and again. As much as he tried to ignore it, Naoki could feel the annoyance building up inside of him every time he felt that stare on the side of his face. Why should he feel bad, anyway? Just because he HAD heard good things about Tamaki didn't mean he HAD to tell him about it. Sure, Tamaki was a nice guy who treated everyone kindly and with care and respect, but it didn't mean Naoki had to do the same.

"Will you stop giving me that look!" He suddenly shouted, throwing his fork down on the table. "You're acting like I should apologize just because I don't know everything about you!"

"Sorry," Tamaki apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Yah… don't worry about it. Can we just leave or something?"

Tamaki smiled, placing his card in the check book and taking it up to the waitress before returning to the table and lightly pulling on Antoinette's leash. Naoki ran his hand through his hair and couldn't look Tamaki in the eyes. He wasn't sure how to respond after people just up and apologize when he overreacted. Actually, he'd been used to much worse than that.

"I'll take you home, if that's what you'd like?" Tamaki asked him, holding the passenger door open for him as Charlie and Antoinette climbed in the back seat.

"Yah, sure." Tamaki shut the door after Naoki climbed in and walked over to the other side, starting the car and receiving directions towards the other side of the city. The radio poured out soft jazz, and slowly it eased the tension as they sat through light traffic.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier, I shouldn't have. I'm just not used to people being so…" he searched for the word.

"Annoying? Persistent? Overly dramatic?" Tamaki helped him.

"Caring," Naoki finished. Taking a glance over, he saw Tamaki's face holding up a sad looking smile. He hadn't meant to make him so glum; Naoki just wasn't good at knowing what to say.

A strange ticking sound brought both of them out of their own thoughts, and they looked at one another. Neither of them were wearing any obnoxiously ticking watch, and Tamaki snapped the radio off. Still, the ticking presumed. As they rolled to a stop at the light, Tamaki craned his neck past the side of his seat and saw a little black box with an orange and green ribbon around it. He glanced at Naoki, who shrugged and reached back to grab it.

"Will you open it for me, please?" Tamaki asked. Complying, he pulled off the ribbon and opened it.

"It's just a jar of regular coffee," he held it up, showing it to Tamaki.

'_**A king can easily be blown off of the thrown. H'**_ was typed on a piece of blue paper.

"I think it's just someone messing with you," Naoki suggested.

The glowing red numbers on the side told him different.

xxx

Thank you SO SO SO SO SO much for all of your wonderful reviews. Seeing as I am severely short on time, I will write each and every one of you back as soon as I get a chance and thank you personally for your effort to give me a reason to continue writing; your praises will not be forgotten, and are accepted gratefully.


	6. Gratia placenti

Mou, forgive my lateness with this chapter. I've had complications health wise, involving a pulled abdominal or stomach muscle, and those are rather painful to pull, that they are. And on top of that i'm still coaching soccer so I have to play with the kids and one of the boys thought it would be funny to take advantage and knee me in the stomach, and break my nail. That's alright though. He's on my list. I've taken out bigger and better than him and if he wants to play me at my own game, then so be it. =]

In other news, I will be having chorus practices on top of soccer and school starts back soon. Unfortunately I am being forced to attend instead of just taking my classes online like any normal social outcast prefers to do.

*sigh*

You'll get your chapters with little hidden gender confusions inside of it. Hah. If you can spot them then you are grammatically efficient. Bravo.

Forgive my morbis sarcasm this time, i'm rather... upset about having to wake up early tommorow to have to deal with school bullshitttttt.

Well, enjoy my little readers, and a review might help put me out of this gloomy writers block funk.

**Gracia Placenti: For the sake of pleasing **

!

Spending nearly an hour on the phone with her father, she learned he was coming home tonight and had already alerted Kyoya of the good news.

She didn't delve into any intricate details as her father asked for the juicy gossip, merely staying to the idea that the Ootori are very welcoming and kind.

A knock on the side door had her jumping slightly out of her skin.

"I included a lock out of courtesy, though I don't like it being used." She heard from the other side, the undertone sporting a shade of annoyance.

"Umm, I have to go dad, have a safe trip."

"Oh, aright, Haruhi, I'll see you so-"

The rest of Ranka's goodbye was cut off as Haruhi snapped her phone shut, walking to the door with her fingers resting on the lock.

"Are you going to accuse me of stupid things again?" She asked through the door, only to be answered by silence. Curious, she turned the lock and peeked her head in, looking around the room for an annoyed Kyoya.

She saw none.

Pulling her head back, she gave a yelp as the door in her hands was shut, closing with a snap where her head had been mere seconds ago. A hand rested on the wood above her head, a pair of shining glasses further up.

Apparently Kyoya hadn't forgotten that there was another door, one she probably hadn't even thought to lock, and decided waiting for her to stop her childish little games was beneath him.

"I don't know, is trying to keep me out with an unlocked door considered stupid?"

She smiled at the sarcasm, duking under his arm and he watched as she waked and sat down on her already made bed. Judging from how the pillows weren't arranged perfectly, she'd done it herself.

"Slightly, but you can't accuse me of something stupid if I openly admit it was."

He merely jammed the lock so she could not use it against him again, before turning his attentions back to her.

"Ranka-san is coming back tonight."

He said, not really asking to confirm with her, and she nodded, looking out of the windows to the gardens outside.

"And you both will be joining us for dinner, as were my fathers' wishes."

Now, that was new.

"I wasn't told about that," she muttered under her breath. Nor was she asked if she even wanted to attend a dinner with her hyperactive father who would most likely dote on about her and what not.

"It wasn't really your choice," he pointed out to her, causing her to glare dumbly at him. "Though I'm sure you're already aware it will be formal dress code."

'Great, another dress,' she thought to herself grudgingly. The least life could offer was comfortable pair of sweat pants and some ootoro to drown her sorrows.

Disappearing behind his own door, he returned with a box in hand; she could easily guess what was in it.

He looked at her as he sat it down in front of her, waiting for her to open it. She didn't really make a move, as most girls would. Then again, Haruhi wasn't what he dubbed normal. Normal girls don't worry about their homework when they could be relaxing at a spa or what not. Normal girls would at least have tried to take advantage of him while he bathed, but she'd opted to look away. Hell, any girl would have opted for that chance, normal or not.

Thinking back on it, he did feel a small prick inside, something he hadn't felt in a long time. He was slightly offended that she didn't even seem phased by his body being right there for her to gander at. Regardless, he steeled himself as he felt his façade slacking. Now wasn't the time to go off pondering pointless things.

"Are you going to open it or am I to ask the maids to dress you?" He stated with a rather curious tone. He hadn't meant it to have the sharp edge that snapped her out of her little trance and the thoughts he wasn't quite sure he wanted to know about.

Without an answer she flipped the lid off of the box, pushing it off to the side. The oversized collar of her sleep shirt dipped slightly, revealing a creamy white collar bone that she absently covered back up. He couldn't help but try to hide the slight crimson that tried to force its way up past his calm mask. He had no idea how that woman could elicit even the slightest response out of him, let alone causing him to have to fight back a blush at seeing so little skin.

'Pull yourself together. You're an Ootori,' he reminded himself as he saw her pull the dress out of the box and cock her head slightly. After Ranka had called him earlier, he had ordered a dress online to be delivered immediately to him. Kyoya might not have been the son of fashionistas, but he had his own flair. He preferred sleek, professional styles that had a sexy flair, and that is exactly what he had chosen when he purchased this dress in the morning.

Though, it had been a good choice, knowing it would annoy Haruhi to no end.

"Is this a dress people wear in public?" She asked him, holding up the piece of silky fabric from the box. Dyed a deep crimson color, the dress screamed "look at me" a bit too loudly for her tastes.

With a smirk, he pulled out the matching shoes, which he had at least been thoughtful in purchasing; a pair of black flats with red bows. The belt that cinched around her waist lay in the box as well. Guiding her in the bathroom, he handed her the shoes and belt with a placid smile and closed the door, going to his own room to dress himself quickly.

As she pulled on the dress, well, what Kyoya claimed was a dress, she knew she did not want to look in the mirror, her last shred of pride lingered in hoping this dress would at least go past mid-thigh and cover up the things she'd spent years hiding under baggy sweaters. Her prayer was answered, the dress reached a little above her knees with black ruffles underneath. The red satin draped to the sides from the middle to show the black material, and the black belt was secured around her slender waist, a bow in the back. She was insecure about not having any straps to secure the material to her body, and prayed the anti-slip strips on the inside would keep it up. With a little bit of eye liner, mascara, and a shade of lip gloss only a little darker than her natural shade, she felt that was the best she was willing to do.

In all, it could have been worse. Instead of looking like a salsa or tango dancer, she could look like a cheap French harlot. She'd opt for the first in a heartbeat, if it came to those two extremes. With one last look in the mirror, she opened the door to see Kyoya sitting where she'd left him, only dressed extremely differently. A sleek black tuxedo emphasized his trim figure, and the red satin shirt and black tie was definitely matched to her own dress. It was hard to imagine Kyoya any other way, as he sat elegantly with his nose buried in the laptop she was sure was his lifeline.

"Umm, Kyoya?" she called, scolding herself for the slight waiver in her voice. It wasn't that she was worried she wouldn't look presentable, seeing as he himself had presented her with the dress, she told herself, it was merely just the belt being a little too tight on her abdomen. With her head tilted to the side, she watched him through her bangs as he slowly looked up from the computer screen and gave her a quick look over before meeting her eyes briefly.

"You look… different," he offered her, closing his laptop and placing it on her bed. He surmised it would be safe enough to leave it here until he returned; the maids knew well enough to leave it alone, not that anyone would be able to guess what his password was.

"Thanks, I guess?" She wasn't exactly sure if him saying she looked different was to be regarded as a compliment or it was the most polite way-and only way- of him admitting he had made a mistake when choosing the dress.

'Oh well, too late now,' she told herself, inwardly rolling her eyes. It was best to just get the evening over with and see her father again since her accident the day at the café.

'That day…' she thought distantly, before snapping herself out of what she knew was going to be a recall of all of the misfortune that had befallen her since the morning her father had handed her that letter.

"Haruhi," he said sharply, calling her to attention. She snapped her eyes to him, alert from his tone. His eyes relaxed as he felt his resolve shrinking from the gaze in her emotional caramel orbs. What she was feeling right now was a mystery to him, she just looked… vulnerable, if he had to name it.

"Are you ready to leave?" Kyoya asked, more softly than he had spoken previously. She smiled and told him she was, but the smile didn't really reach her eyes, he noticed, as they walked out from her room and to the awaiting limo. He explained shortly that his father had taken a different car, having to deal with something important on the way. As she looked at her cell phone in the red bow shaped purse he had provided her with, she noticed it was only 3 in the afternoon, and her father wasn't due till at least 6.

"Kyoya?" She asked as she felt the limo departing from the manor and they settled themselves across from one another. He met her eyes in recognition of the question issued in his name.

"Why're we leaving so early, it's only three."

He turned his attention out of the window, and she watched as his shoulders tensed slightly. "We have to make a quick detour, as well," he told her tersely, and she knew it would be best not to ask any questions. She could only hope it didn't have to do with a rendezvous with the paparazzi or the news press, and her hands fidgeted in her lap at the thought.

Sharp eyes caught the movement, and for a moment he thought he felt slightly guilty, but it was quickly brushed aside as he looked out at the familiar route they were passing by outside. He could have gone earlier, without Haruhi, but Kyoya felt that her presence would be very much appreciated by him.

Tamaki hadn't seen his daughter in ages, and by the way he ran out of the doors of the Suoh Third House, it showed.

"My dearest daughter! Oh, my beautiful little pumpkin seed, how it does my heart well to see you in good health, come to visit your darling, handsome father!" Tamaki ranted as he hugged the girl in front of him, who kindly patted his back.

Tamaki was right, it had been a while. She'd meant to contact him more often, but just didn't act on the thought, and it made her feel a little bad as she saw his eyes sparkling.

"Has mama treated you well, Haruhi? Surely mama would only give the best to his dearest daughter, the fruit of his loin-"

And then she remembered why she'd lodged the thought out of her mind.

He could be downright annoying sometimes.

"Tamaki, can we please not talk about something vulgar and unnecessary?" Kyoya requested (commanded) with the clearing of his throat. Being ushered in and out of the chill, which Haruhi hadn't brought a jacket for, Tamaki led them up to a grand lounge, where he sat on a love seat and dragged Haruhi onto the cushion next to himself.

"Ah, my daughter, daddy is so glad to see you in his hour of woe!" he cried, latching onto her shoulders and sniffling in dramatics. She sent a glance towards Kyoya who sat in an over stuffed chair, questioning what Tamaki meant.

"I haven't told her what happened yet," he stated to Tamaki, turning to pour himself a cup of tea and sipping it slightly.

"WHATTTTT? MOMMY DIDN'T TELL DAUGHTER OF DADDY'S HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! How cruel…" chewing on the corner of his handkerchief, Tamaki huddled closer to Haruhi who had run out of room to continue scooting away from the sobbing boy.

With a look of slight annoyance, Tamaki instantly sobered from a glance of Kyoya's and straightened himself up, dabbing his eyes with the hand embroidered piece of cloth.

"What experience are you referring to, Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi asked him curiously. He looked well enough, and wasn't acting out of the norm. Perhaps he had been denied by a girl other than her and couldn't hold it all in?

"Well, daddy was out on a morning excursion with Antoinette,"

She yipped from another room as if hearing her name,

"And after breakfast Naoki found a bomb in the back seat! If he hadn't tossed it out of the door, your daddy might not be here right now holding you and seeing you so beautiful and womanly…." Tamaki quiented, rubbing his cheek on Haruhi's bare shoulder as she patted his head lightly.

"Tamaki-sempai, you really should have called me and told me yourself, a bomb is really serious. Does everyone else know?" She wasn't one to dote on Tamaki, but with this issue, it was a rare sight to behold Haruhi letting Tamaki cling to her and nuzzle into her flesh as he wiped his teary eyes.

A nerve in Kyoya's forehead tensed slightly at the sight before him, and his fist clenched for a reason he couldn't exactly name.

He reasoned it was the fact that he was reminded of the attack on his closest friends. He wasn't completely convinced.

Her eyes grew sad, they both noticed, as she looked down into Tamaki's watery violet ones, his head now in her lap for comfort.

"It's most likely my fault," she pointed out bluntly, causing both to tense up. This was exactly the reason he hadn't mentioned it to her, because with all of the events happening, she was apt to believe that the person behind her accident was also behind the bomb placed in his car. If anything ever happened to her friends because of her, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself, and they both knew it.

"Nononononono, Haruhi, nothing like that could ever be your fault! I've chalked it up to a jealous beau of one of my lovely ladies, merely trying to get a rise out of me! Not some crazy killer after me because of you and… your… oh my."

A fiery glare from Kyoya alerted him that he was indeed saying something that would most likely get his ears chewed off later and make Haruhi feel even worse.

"Haruhi," Kyoya said from the chair he sat in, rising and kneeling in front of the couch Tamaki and Haruhi were situated on. He twisted his head to look into her down cast eyes, allowing himself a moment of tenderness, if only to ensure both people cheered up and his evening would not be spoiled.

Reluctantly, her caramel orbs met Kyoya's onyx gray ones, her sadness conflicting with his own restricted look.

"If you're going to tell me I'm not at fault, don't bother," Haruhi drawled bluntly, not wanting to hear him try to convince her it wasn't her fault his best friend and hers as well was nearly obliterated. Kyoya let a small sigh slip past his lips.

"You have no proof to pin the accident on yourself, so quit dwelling on it until we have concrete evidence." It was a reasonable enough statement, enough to cheer Tamaki up as he smoothed Haruhi's hair from his resting position on her lap.

"Yah, Haruhi! Mommy is always right about these things! And even if it was, I'm alright! Nothing could separate me from my loving daughter, not even Hades himself!"

Kyoya's eyes were still locked onto her own, and at the stern look he was giving her, she felt something move through her and the back of her neck bristled. She gave him a small nod, not trusting her own voice, in hopes it would convince Kyoya to return to his seat and stop staring at her like that.

Rising gracefully to his feet, he did indeed look away from her eyes and repressed the fuzzy feeling in the back of his head from spreading any further, lest he say or do something out of place.

"With that settled, we do have to get going."

A dismayed look plastered itself onto Tamaki's face as he sat up, slinging to Haruhi defensively.

"Whaaaat? But you just got here and I haven't seen my lovely kitten in so long," he whined, rubbing his cheek against her own.

"We're having dinner with my father, he's coming back from a trip," she forced out, taking a chance and breaking out of Tamaki's hold to stand beside Kyoya who looked down at her passively.

Tamaki's eyes brightened considerably at the thought of being able to have dinner with Ranka-san and having a romantic dinner with his lovely daughter under the setting of pale moonlight and smooth violins.

"I want to go too! Father and father should rejoice their daughter and be merry together!"

Holding her hands up uncomfortably, she tried to pick out the right words to explain to him, again, that her father hated the very air Tamaki spouted his nonsense in.

"I'm sorry, Tamaki, perhaps next time," Kyoya stated, beating her to it.

It was hard making it to the door, Tamaki's incessant begging and kneeling on the ground being a definite factor in the reason they were still on the second floor.

On the ride to the restaurant where she would see her father again, she wasn't sure exactly what she was expected to say to Kyoya. Of course she understood why he wouldn't tell her about the bomb; he didn't want to have to deal with her reaction alone. Truth be told, she didn't blame him. It was just another thing to add to the list of apologies she would have to write after all of this finally blew over and she hoped her mother in Heaven would see her through this to the end.

As the tires seemed to slow, Kyoya took his chance to speak with her privately before they would have to put on their smiling facades for their fathers.

"I know you're upset with me, but now is not the time to dwell on it."

Right now, that would have to suffice as his form of apology to her, and somehow she understood that was what he was trying to express through his fronted speech.

As they stepped out, Tachibana smiled and nodded to both of them as he closed the door and took his orders to return when called. Servers held open the doors and greeted them warmly, telling him his father was seated in the private section. Haruhi tried not to be too taken in by the lush interior and the elegant dining, but it was hard to not feel out of place in the world of those who were used to their riches while she was learning to grow into it. She liked where she was before, middle class and free. The arm she had hers tucked into tightened to retain her attention, and she looked up into Kyoya's face, noting how his smile once again didn't reach into his eyes that read "look-happy-or-ill-put-your-tab-onto-your-debt-with-the-host-club."

Soon, she didn't have to fake her smile as she saw her father, dressed in a fine suit and shorter hair combed back casually laughing with Toshio Ootori, spotting Haruhi and Kyoya approaching from the corner of his bespectacled eyes.

"Ah, Haruhi-san, Kyoya, you're earlier than expected." Toshio stood to greet them and shook his son's hand who looked at him with a morbidly curious expression, and turned to greet Haruhi in the same fashion. Her own father jumped from his seat, embracing his glamorized daughter before realizing in a ritzy restaurant such as this, it was rather improper to be hugging your daughter to your bosom and talking like a woman when you're clearly a man.

"Oh Haruhi, I've missed you so much! And you look so gorgeous! Ootori-san and Kyoya took such good care of you."

Ranka pulled out a seat beside himself, Kyoya taking the seat opposite her, aside his now seated father. Kyoya inquired about Ranka's trip, to which a slew of alcoholic induced side stories filled most of the evening. Yoshio seemed generally enthused as Ranka rambled on, and Haruhi could tell from the slight twitch of Kyoya's lips that he was giving his all to pretend to focus. This wasn't exactly information he would need to store in his file.

"Ayah, but enough about me and my trip, what has been happening here, with… well, Haruhi's recovery?" Ranka looked down to his daughter uncomfortably and rested his hand on her shoulder. He'd fretted every day, praying she didn't resent him for the rest of her life for taking the business trip when she needed him most, but Kyoya had given him such a convincing argument as to why Haruhi would be safe in his care and it would be unwise to throw away a good work related opportunity. He'd called Haruhi as often as he could, but she was unreliable when it came to keeping a cell phone near her person.

"Haruhi-san has been doing very well, and she certainly is a very bright young lady. My business partners think her to be very amiable. I believe she had an offer for an arranged marriage, ne, Haruhi-san?" Yoshio teased her with a wink, choosing to ignore the slight shift from Kyoya as he opted to stare down at his food.

"Umm, I believe he was just joking with me, I don't think he was actually being serious."

"Ah, the one thing about business is no matter how humorous something appears, a businessman is always serious."

Perhaps the next time Yoshio was hammered in her presence, she'd remind him of what he just said. With a smile and a nod, she told him she would keep that in mind, and returned to her meal.

"I wonder if I can speak with you privately, Yoshio-san?"

Ranka asked with a smile. As they left the table to walk through the open French doors to the small garden outside, Haruhi gave Kyoya a questioning glance, to which Kyoya merely shrugged and adjusted his glasses. So he had no idea what they were talking about, either.

In the background, a woman sang while a man played the piano, and it struck her that she was still musically inept. Her mother had been the same way when she was young, but one day, when her and her father were listening to the radio, she opened her mouth and correct notes flowed out, pleasant to the ears and not as ear piercing. Listening to this woman sing what she recognized as an English piece called 'someday', she felt her shoulders and mind relax. The food that had been ordered for her was exquisite, it being a seafood platter like Kyoya's, and she couldn't help but smile to herself.

"Are you that happy to see your father again?" Kyoya asked as he saw the grin spread over her recently placid face.

"Ayah, yes I am but I was thinking about how tranquil this place is. Even though it's too rich for my tastes, it's still rather pleasant."

She wished she couldn't sense the underlying sarcasm as Kyoya adjusted his glasses and set down his fork to speak.

"As of your eighteenth birthday, nothing will be too rich for you."

She sent him a small glare, muttering

"Rub it in, why don't you?"

Behind his wine glass, he tried to hide a smirk when his delicate ears picked up her breathy remark over the piano keys and light melody.

"Like salt in the wound." Haruhi wasn't sure, but she was guessing that was supposted to be humorous. She wasn't laughing.

Glancing out the door, she saw her father reproaching with Yoshio, both still smiling and laughing like they were school boys. She knew better than to outright ask what they had left the tables to discuss, but knew she could easily grill it from her father later, and if she was feeling generous, tell Kyoya the news.

As dinner came to a close, her father was reluctant to let her out of a hug as their separate cars pulled up; Yoshio had offered to escort Ranka home and Kyoya could escort Haruhi back to the Ootori mansion. She was free to return home in the morning or anytime tomorrow, Yoshio had told her, and was free to stay whenever she desired. A chilling breeze blew by, nipping her bare arms and she shivered as she crossed her arms over her chest. As she felt a warm piece of fabric being draped over her shoulders, she looked up to see Kyoya and his red satin shirt bathed in the dim glow from the building behind them, and glanced down at the tuxedo jacket he'd put over her.

"Thanks." She said with a smile, to which he nodded and Ranka squealed.

"Aah, Kyoya-kun, you are the perfect gentleman to care for my sweet little daughter! What a wonderful son you have, Yoshio-san."

The business head clapped Ranka on the back, nodding to the driver to open the door to their car.

"Yes, that I do, and you have a wonderful daughter, I must say. She keeps Kyoya on his toes that's for sure." Saying a quick goodbye to the two mentioned, he seated himself in the car and waited for Ranka to join him.

A quick embrace later and an "I'll see you tomorrow!" and her father and Yoshio were speeding off into the night. She hoped her father wouldn't have the urge to invite Yoshio in for more drinks. Tachibana held the door open as Kyoya and Haruhi entered, Haruhi scolding herself when she managed to trip on the curb and nearly tumble into the car, to which Kyoya couldn't bite back a chuckle.

As Tachibana started the car, they both fell into silence and Haruhi adverted her gaze to anywhere but on him, and instead opted to glance out of the window.

"I'm not completely positive yet," Kyoya said suddenly, startling Haruhi out of her peaceful silence.

"But I believe my father is planning something." They sat in darkness and quiet again for what seemed like the short half of forever, the street lamps and brightened houses filtering in and out on the floor. The light shone on his glasses, allowing her to see the strained expression one moment before it dissolved behind a flash of white.

The light danced off of her skin as well, and played with her caramel colored irises as they shone in confusion. Eventually, she heaved a sigh.

"I'm tired of this." It was a general statement, and neither was exactly sure of what she was thinking about when it slipped past her lips. One could only guess, though.

"It only gets worse," he murmured, stating only the cold truth.

He knew it, she knew it, and the looks on their faces only proved how strongly they both believed it to be true.

It was one of the few things she was sure of these days.

He watched her tense in discomfort, be it the shoes or hard reality bearing down uncomfortably on shoulders that already had to restrain so much.

'What can I say, it'll all get better?' he thought to himself. It annoyed him that for the first time in a very, very long time, he was tongue tied. Smooth talking came naturally to him, and it only amplified when he became a host, but as Haruhi sat across from him and was bathed in the afterglow of a paused street lamp, he knew words wouldn't pass through the girls ears.

He stood hunched in the limo, making the few steps to cross to the other side where Haruhi had silently designated as her own, and was thankful they were waiting at a stoplight. The light showed the surprise and confusion, which, he thought was endearing and mildly amusing. His hand rested over her own, lay out on the black leather seat.

The flush of her cheeks nearly had his head whirling. He'd had too much wine again, and chances were that flush on her cheeks wasn't stained there from just embarrassment. She could feel his sudden rush of body heat flowing through her hand, and she shivered under Kyoya's tuxedo jacket which did not end unnoticed from Kyoya. Silently he adjusted the jacket with his free hand, letting his fingers brush over the chilled skin on her neck and collar bone.

Kyoya was unsure as to what he was doing, alcohol raging through his system or not. Right now Haruhi sat there, vulnerable and in desperate need of comfort. Even Hunni-senpai or the Hitachiin brothers would be better suited to returning this sulking, strange woman back into the smiling and optimistic Haruhi he was used to. This pensive melancholy was unnatural coming from her.

As the light flashed away from the now moving vehicle, the last thing Haruhi saw in the clear lighting was Kyoya's head moving closer to hers, she felt the heart inside her chest beating foreign and off beat.

The warmth that suddenly met her forehead tingled, and she felt static ebb its way into her vision as everything dizzied slightly. What sounded like a small, wet smack came from above and the slight rush of cold accompanied the light tingle in that slight area.

Uncertainly, she glanced up, checking again to make sure it was Kyoya seated with her, so closely and breathing lightly, the darkness prevented her from confirming the identity, but she quickly concluded it could not be Kyoya.

A hand wound its way up a satin dress shirt that she assured herself was not red in color, and fingertips brushed lightly against soft locks she assured herself weren't raven colored. They passed smooth wet lips and silky smooth skin that were attached to this stranger whose name was not Kyoya. The glasses, however, threw her for a loop.

As did the consistent scent of expensive cologne, newspaper, and the tale tell warm smell of velvet tuberose. The other hand not clasped atop her other touched the hand fingering the glasses, and those curious finger tips were placed upon the smooth lips shed brushed moments ago, the tingling and warmth spread there as well.

"Haruhi," she felt the voice rumble lowly through her tingling hand, and suddenly she couldn't deny the identity of the speaker any longer. No one had abducted Kyoya and replaced him with a foreign body after all.

When her fingers drew a path up his neck, Kyoya had easily suppressed the shiver it nearly elicited from his torso. As they made their way upward, however, her name brushed past his iron clad lips and his hand instinctively reached for her own, drawing it to his lips to do what he had done to her temple.

Unsure if the alcohol was giving him strength or giving him stupidity, he decided to act on his impulses, and smirked at the slight intake of breath from the girl beside him. He could have anyone he wanted, but they didn't really matter if he had no use for them. Kyoya thought most people boring and only useful for a short period of time, but this girl made him think otherwise.

He was nearly positive she felt drawn to him, regardless of what attracted her to him, but the spark was there. Maybe right now he wasn't looking to feed the flame to attract her more, but knowing that it was an option gave him astute confidence. Knowing that she was intelligent, witty, optimistic, and unimpressed with the things he had been taught to value, the feeling of attraction had made itself quite clear to a woman he once thought to be worthless. Granted, he was sore at her for being able to give him second thought, make him feel as though something was going terribly wrong inside him and he could do nothing to alter it.

Right now made him waver in his soreness, as well.

He brought his face tentatively down, hardly aware that she couldn't even see the movements he was making, and grateful her eyes couldn't decipher the look of unsurity, the obvious insecurity drawing his face into a foreign expression. Deep down, he knew she didn't need the gift of vision to tell there were twisting foreign entities where his stomach should be and that his body was unusually warmer than it should be in an air conditioned limo.

Thankful for his ability to see in the dark, the look of curiosity drew him in, wanting to see the way her eyes would widen as his lips brushed against her slightly parted ones. Instead his eyes widened as hers softened, dimming down and becoming hidden under eyelids as he savored the taste lingering on Haruhi's own lips.

She was allowing him to act so brashly?

With a squeeze Haruhi released her hand pressed against the leather seat and brought it slowly to his shoulders and her fingers tensed, the other hand that was held interlaced in loose fingers. He broke the kiss to see if she would suddenly snap back to reality, realizing what exactly was happening, her eyelids fluttered open slowly as they peered through into the darkness. Half lidded eyes met his own briefly before departing again to look at where she assumed her hand was, and he felt it lace around his neck, drawing his own body closer to hers.

Not needing to be told twice, he met her lips again, this time pressing them intensely on her own as she struggled to do the same. Her back leaned against the window as he twisted her torso to completely face his, one knee drawn under him and the other on the ground. Their entwined hands reached upward as he placed the back of her hand on the cool glass above where their lips met, free hand hooking around her slender waist to bring her torso against his own.

The glow from a passing street lamp illuminated the entangled bodies, letting his eyes quickly roam over the situation at hand, seeing how close her body really was to him, and his expression reflected in the glass.

He looked aroused, content, forlorn, and confused. Right now, he was in the process of relations with someone who had stolen the hearts of most of the host club members without most of them realizing it. He had a girl who smiled at the thought of something he found so simple and mundane, and found that money wasn't as important as invisible possessions like friendship and hard work, and love.

And she was not pushing him away, this cold man who lived for numbers and power, who was the epitome of what Haruhi stood against in the world. Perhaps she was slightly correct in her values, and for tonight, he wouldn't question that. He found himself rendered helpless as he felt the arch in her back cause her to press more fully against his own torso, and could only struggle to keep an arousal at bay.

A cold shower was definitely in order.

With another glance to her smooth face, he moved his hand up to the back of her neck, letting his fingers lace into the strawberry scented locks and eased the pressure he was applying on her lips as she arched her neck forwards to keep their lips from parting.

Biting back a smirk at her small reaction, he trailed his lips down slowly, placing soft and languid kisses down her neck as he nipped at the flesh pulled tightly over her collar bone and shoulders. He found the yips she let out amusing and adorable. If this was happening, she wouldn't be able to hide it from him when he woke up and passed this all off as a dream.

"K… Kyoya…" Haruhi rambled off, unsure of what exactly was happening; only that she felt extremely warm and it was hard to focus. The feeling of teeth clashing against her collar bone sent shivers down the small of her back, from where hands were gently playing with the back of her neck. The flashes of light illuminated the interior and showed her what she had thought; it was indeed The Shadow King atop her, placing chaste kisses on her neck and looking to meet her gaze with his own.

Breathing in slowly, Haruhi didn't smell like she drowned herself in the expensive bath oils and perfumes, she smelt light and fresh, like fresh laundry and the faint scent of flowers and her own special scent. Kyoya felt the scent calming his fired up nerves and relaxed his tense muscles, resting himself over top her own body with the hand he'd had wrapped around her torso and ensnared in her hair.

As they felt the limo gliding gently to a stop, he sat up with their hands still entwined and looked down to see the oversized jacket on Haruhi overlapped their hands. He didn't wait for Tachibana to come and open the door, opting to open it and step out, Haruhi coming after and following him up the stairs through the open door. She saw the maids looking curiously at the Ootori third son staring straight ahead and latching hands with the worried looking Haruhi, ascending the stairs at a pace that made it hard for her to keep up.

"Should we tell Yoshio-sama?" A younger maid asked one of the older women under her breath and was given a knowing smile in return.

"Ootori-sama is gifted when it comes to figuring these things out for himself. It's best not to spoil his fun," and left the curious younger maid to continue her nightly chores.

Kyoya led Haruhi to her own room, opening the door and closing it for her as she walked in, before returning to his own room, plopping down rather ungracefully on his own bed. Nimble fingers loosened the suddenly choking tie and undid the top buttons of his dress shirt to feel the breeze from the fan. Faintly he knew Haruhi had never committed such an intimate act with another person, and felt a small grin twitch the corners of his lips upward. Crossing his arms under his head and folding his legs still touching the floor beneath him, Kyoya mentally smacked himself for not removing his shoes as well. A faint knock came at the side door, and without thinking he called for them to enter. When the brunette haired girl he'd just been thinking about popped in through the slight gap in the door, he struggled to keep his face calm and placid.

As her eyes kept focus on the ground beneath her feet, it seemed impossible for her to look up and meet his gaze.

"Good evening," he greeted calmly, propping himself up on one arm. She glanced up slightly from the ground and nodded faintly, hands twisted behind her back in the girliest action he'd ever seen her commit. However out of place it was extremely cute. She'd quickly changed the dress and swapped into a yellow sleeping gown that looked similar to the pink one she'd worn at the beach house. Tilting her head to the side she finally met his cool gaze with her own and smiled.

"Evening, Kyoya." When he patted the spot beside him, her shoulders twitched lightly before she forced them down and sat a bit farther away than she had intended, though he didn't seem to notice.

Her feet barely grazed the floor beneath him, while his knees bent slightly so he could sit on the edge of the bed as she opted to. It seemed every day he was discovering simple things he scolded himself for not realizing before, like how small and frail Haruhi really was. He knew all of her measurements, her strengths and weakness, the things that mattered in his world. Only now, in the turmoil Sudao's death and Haruhi's inheritance had brought did he begin learning the things that had shaped her into someone intriguing and formidable to himself.

"I-"

"You-"

They both paused and looked at one another, Kyoya tilting his head down and Haruhi having to look up to meet his gaze.

"Proceed," he told her to let her continue.

"O, right. I was just going to say that I'm sorry I acted so thoughtlessly in the car," she finished, rubbing her arm awkwardly. From tranquil to cold his eyes snapped onto her own and she looked slightly shocked as they faded away quickly.

"So then you regret it?" He inquired, watching her tense up and those eyes become worried as they blinked quickly.

"Well, n-no, I don't think I mea-" Cut off as Kyoya stood and roughly placed his hands on either side of her hips, she slowly fell backwards as he moved forwards.

"Then don't say things that are offensive if you don't mean them."

Haruhi and Kyoya sat there, eyes locked for what seemed llike hours.

"What were you going to say?" She asked him suddenly.

"Nothing of importance," he dismissed, but the curious look in her eyes stopped him from removing his arms and returning to reality. With a small sigh he quickly kissed her lips and drew back with a small 'smack'.

"You learn quickly, for a commoner." For a moment, she looked curious and her lips pouted in thought, but a hand brushing against her own as it had in the limo snapped the answer into place. A blush erupted onto her cheeks suddenly as she realized he had meant the intimate act they had committed. She wasn't prepared to face another round of what happened only mere minutes ago, in such a personal setting, and quickly struggled to change the subject.

"I found the second letter on my dresser," she told him bluntly. Haruhi saw the coy look on his face drop as a look of teasing realization brighten the eyes that had just bore into her with a steely gaze.

"I know, I left it there before we left."

!

**Wow. **

**Did I see that one coming? Of course not. Did I want to keep going with this chapter? Kind of. Am I? I think that one is obvious. **

**=D **

**Who wants to know what that letter contains? **

**Review and stick around for the next chapter and maybe you'll find out, ya? **

**And yes, I did enjoy the Kyoya and Haruhi kissy face scene. If you think it's too soon, you should see alcoholics go at it. I see Kyoya as an alcoholic, and everyone knows alcohol turns you into someone you're not. Therefore, your little cold Kyoya becomes a pervert. There. **

**And Haruhi, well, she's kind of normal, only a little more... expressive. **

**So, enjoy my story, please? AND REVIEW PLEASE. **


	7. Amor caecus est

**Disclaimer: NOT. MINE. HOLY CRAP, do you THINK I would have made the anime end with Haruhi and Tamaki jumping off of a bridge together if I owned them? NO. It would have been KYOYA and that bridge would have been proverbial because he wouldn't have been foolish enough to go with that bitch in the first place. HAH!**

**Ano, again. I'm sorry that I'm so slow these days, it's just… this writing stuff is HARD! I'm not into the tenth chapter and I'm already suffering from writers block. I've written this chapter TWICE. TWO TIMES. DEUX!**

**It's getting down to the knitty gritty, and I want this to be JUST right, so you can bask in the sweat and strain I've produced for you while making this chapter. Seriously, reading my other chapters, I was like a creative GENIUS. I'm WORKING on begging and pleading for it to come back to me. **

**Amor caecus est** - _Love is blind  
_

Sipping hot cocoa at a tiny café with one Kyoya Ootori proved to be more enjoyable than she thought. It was sunny outside, and the air was chilly, but it made the warm melted chocolate all the more enjoyable. Steam warmed her face as her cheeks ripened and grew rosy, along with her warmed lips.

"Ah," she mumbled as some of the crème dabbed onto the tip of her nose and the side of her cheek. As she moved to wipe it away, a third hand dabbed it away with a cloth, and she looked over to see Kyoya placing the napkin back at his side.

"Thanks, but I could have done it myself, you know."

It wasn't until she looked back down at her cocoa that a small smile tugged at her lips, and for the first time in a long while,

Everything was calm.

How long he'd been pounding away at the keyboard was anyone's guess; thankfully, the sun wasn't peeping through the curtains just yet. Kyoya's plan had been to dissolve any lingering regrets or feelings about how Haruhi had looked about ready to cry when she left his room and retired to her own. He'd used his spreadsheets and 200 number calculations to try and forget the sound of the chest of drawers being shoved in front of their door as a makeshift lock to replace the one he had deliberately broken.

In his defense, it hadn't been easy keeping the letter away from her. Of course he'd wanted to let her read it and hope for the best, but there was that stubbornness inside of him that didn't want to have to endure another round of twenty questions relating to _'why he would do this'_ and _'who was he?'_

But, he had to admit to himself as he cringed from the pain in his bruised fingertips, he wasn't exactly considering her feelings and how they were strained to their limits.

Anyone in her position deserved as many breaks as they could possibly be spared, even he noticed this. Yoshio had warned him that either way would lead to more strain being placed onto her shoulders,

It was how Kyoya reacted to it that would make all the difference.

In truth, he had reacted the one way he spent the last few days promising himself he wouldn't; he'd told her it wasn't her place to demand information when she was in such a compromising situation.

The oncoming itch of a stress rash told him that if he didn't settle this soon, he'd be soaking in a bath full of calamine lotion for the next couple of days.

An apology wasn't something he was prepared to give. In fact, why such a small situation like this was even getting to him and bothering him was beyond him. He'd nearly molested her before to make her realize that she was still a girl, and a weak one at that. He'd enjoyed selling off her possessions on HostBay just to rile her up and make a quick buck for the group, at her expense, of course.

But, if he didn't do something, this could continue on, and she could cozy up to another business and put them first in line for negotiations, and that was something he could not allow to happen, even if it meant sucking up to the last person he ever thought he would need to.

The walk to her room made him realize how tired he really was. How tired, and how annoyed, and… and well, how much like a puppy that just got kicked in the face but came back to get a rub on the tummy he was.

He hoped he didn't crack a tooth from how hard he was gritting his teeth. That knock sounded awfully angry, and loud, as he rapped on the outside of her door.

Minutes passed, and his foot found peace kicking the base of the door to rouse her from whatever kind of dream world she was in. Still, no answer.

Peeking through the unlocked door proved his suspicions correct; she wasn't nestled between the bed sheets or soaking her stress off in the tub, as much as that would have pleased him.

He had a right mind to just retire and sort it all out in the morning, let her stew in whatever negative brew she was boiling up, until his entire lower back felt like it was on fire, and the intense struggle to itch it made up his mind for him;

Find Haruhi.

Calling her cell phone proved useless; the up beat ring tone that suddenly went off beside him nearly had him jumping out of his pajamas. Snapping his closed and returning it to his room, he began his search for the wandering Haruhi, this time slightly hoping that she HAD gotten into the colorful bottles under the sink and somehow the chemical mixture created a wonderful amnesia so he could have a moments peace.

The lights that shone through the door leading to the paradise room completely obliterated any lingering hopes he had of that amnesia, however.

The artificial lights that were hidden in the metal beams supporting the glass ceiling lit up the room brilliantly, as if there was still a sun beating down upon them. Turning the little knob at his side, he dimmed the radiance to the intensity of a lingering sunset or an awaiting sunrise, depending on your preference.

The water was calm aside from the ripples emitting from the waterfall, and so he made his way up the carved stone steps to the hidden nook he'd once took refuge in whenever he was troubled. How Haruhi had found it was a mystery enough, but why she seemed to seek the same solace he did,

From the same place he did,

Confused him. Sometimes he wasn't able to dismiss their striking similarities. Maybe he didn't always want to.

Rounding the top to the comfort of the shaded table and exotic flowers, he didn't come across any Haruhi to speak of, only what looked like her math book and crumpled pages of incomplete and horribly incorrect math problems.

_'Dobe,'_ he thought fondly._ 'You could have asked for help like you always do.'_

Her stubbornness to accept help when she was irritated caused his shoulders to relax slightly and his cold expression to soften lightly. Perhaps, to lighten up a little bit for her own sake wouldn't be as jeopardizing to his persona as he always imagined it would be.

He'd learned the hard way as a child that meeting stubbornness with ferocity only created more unwanted tension. His father taught him that first hand. Although his father was coming around in his older years, he didn't want to wait that long to learn a lesson that seemed to him now so simple.

The sound of a smooth voice whispering inaudibly caught his attention as he turned to see where it was coming from. How he could have missed her was beyond him, as Kyoya looked down to see Haruhi relaxing under the stream of the waterfall and talking to herself.

Stealth proved to be on his side that night as he easily made his way to the back of the waterfall without being spotted, and he leaned against the rock that was right above her own head.

"As if I don't have enough stress with keeping up with my school work and having to go back with bum legs and cheated women."

He heard her spout angrily. Ah, so she was venting.

Good, he wanted to hear what she kept bottled up from the rest of the host club. More notes in his rapidly growing file on her, anyways.

"And to top it all off, my dead great grandfather enjoyed watching me dress up as a boy and had that rich bastard spying on me! I swear to god money makes people sadistic bastards…"

Her hand massaged a kink from her neck as she tilted her head away from Kyoya, allowing him to glance down at the speckles of love bites he'd left only hours before, branching out from the crook of her ear to the dip in her collar bone, and one he didn't quite remember between the curves of her breasts. Absently he scolded himself for not leaving them in less obvious places.

Her hand trailed down her chest and to her bottoms absently, as she tugged them upward to cover some of her hipbones that cleanly jutted out from beneath her skin, and Kyoya felt himself shutter as he watched the water droplets trail down the pathways of her naked skin and into the recesses of the bathing suit bottoms.

"He acts like he knows everything and like he can do whatever he wants. If he doesn't want my problems added to his own he could've just said something-"

Apparently his tongue agreed with his itching back that his pride wasn't really a key argument against him.

"Speaking for me now, are you?" He said before he could think.

"I don't recall ever complaining about your 'problems' before. But if you'd like to hear them,"

It hadn't been his intention to swing his legs into the pool and corner her in the chest deep water, removing his glasses and setting them above on the rocks. Yes, the chlorine would cause the colors of his sleep clothes to fade, but that would register later when the maids had done their best to cover up what they thought was their own mistake in washing his laundry.

"K-Kyoya-" Haruhi stuttered as her arms swung over her own chest to hide the ample amount of flesh her bikini top revealed. Those arms were torn away and pinned above her, against the rock she was trapped on.

His free hand slammed palm up against the rock beside her head, and he hissed as his fingertips began to protest from the abuse. Using her shock against her, he steeled himself and thoroughly enjoyed the flush of pink against her cheeks and her lips parted, dumbstruck and embarrassed both at the situation and that she had been overheard.

"You should've asked. I'll tell you what's bothered me so much, Haruhi. Would you like to know?"

To a yes or no question, when you are pinned between a rock and a hard place, in her case literally, you always answer to the hard places benefit. Her head shook up and down, the water droplets flying onto his cheek that he ignored for the time being.

"The fact that I have to second guess every action I make against you irritates me to no end. Playing fair isn't my strong suit when it comes to achieving the merits I desire."

The grip on her wrists tightened and she felt the numbness spreading to her fingers; she couldn't look away from the intense glare in his eyes.

Opening her mouth to apologize for something she didn't quite understand, all that she could release was a sharp intake of pain as he twisted his hand that enveloped her wrists, causing them to burn slightly in an effort to still her tongue.

"Or how about when the fact that I've managed to upset you deprives me of sleep?"

The small pulse of regret pushed its way through the crowd of fear and apprehension that dwelled inside of Haruhi's chest, and for the first time since he had scared her stiff against the wall, she looked away from him and down instead at the bare chest presented in front of her. The waterfall flowed over his shoulders and around his craned neck that was so close to hers she could feel his hot breath on the top of her head, drying out the water droplets that still remained.

"I didn't mean it… those things I said, and… I'm sorry."

He felt his head drop at the relief that they could both feel the tension break between them as those words were spoke, and he tiredly let his forehead rest on her shoulders as he released her hands, breathing out a breath he hadn't known he'd held in since she began to speak.

As he rested there, she couldn't help but wonder about the merits he'd mentioned. The first and foremost thing that popped into her mind was her newly inherited business and wealth.

What else could there be?

Kyoya wasn't the type to find anything aside from cold, hard materialistic substances to be anything worthwhile, so it definitely wasn't something more deep or personal, such as her friendship. Even that they had forged from the sake of business.

Somehow, it hurt a little to think about that, but she summed it up to her own morals and ways of thinking. It was his choice what he valued; all she could do was point out from the sidelines how wrong he was.

"Very well, then. Though, how will you prove your apology is genuine to me?"

"What…?"

Wasn't admitting she was wrong enough?

Forget his merits; this guy was an ass hole who only enjoyed toying with her at his own game. Fine, if he wanted to play games,

She'd learned a fun game that kept him on his toes.

As he looked down, he knew that her half lidded eyes and suddenly rosy lips were bait to some game all women were born knowing how to play. The fact that his hips had her own pinned down was an advantage for Haruhi as she "adjusted" herself against the rocks and pushed his chest back a little to bring his head farther up, his lips resting right at her own.

"I'm not quite sure I understand what you'd like, Kyoya." Those lips breathed innocently.

Alright, if Haruhi was willing to play such a dangerous game,

Then he had to prove to her just who was in control.

Shock always tasted the best when it was turned around and used against your victim. This was certainly the case as those pouted lips disappeared beneath his own, not bothering to close his eyes so he could savor the moment of confusion on her face.

She opened her mouth to gasp, and her lips rendered her tongue open game, and Kyoya played fairly as he ran his slick tongue along her bottom lip, knowing this was new territory for her to cross.

It came as a shock to feel that slick foreign entity run across her bottom lip, and even more of a shock when she felt her cheeks become warm and her face began to flush. Those wide eyes lowered against her will when Kyoya took the pink tinge as a sign to continue and wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her ever closer. Forgetting her naivety, he dipped further into the unexplored crevices and stroked the little pink tongue he found with his own, enjoying how hers instinctively ran along his own.

The taste seemed to make it even more worthwhile, and he hadn't expected anything could be more interesting then tasting the sweet virgin lips and mouth presented in front of him. She tasted like sweet cream and the strawberry daiquiri she had sipped on earlier, and the mingling flavor dancing on his own tongue created a new curious feeling underneath his own skin. It scared him, frightened him, and yet he felt himself only pulling closer to this foreign wave.

It didn't help that her arms felt tingly and numb and the wall of embarrassment she felt herself pinned against was rubbing her back raw. Having nothing to cling to as she felt the knees beneath her weaken, she grabbed the closest thing to her fumbling fingers; his dripping wet hair.

His lips met hers with a hiss as his head was pulled back and he glared at her with those piercing grey eyes; foreign clouds made it look like more than just anger.

"You're playing a game you can't win at," Kyoya murmured to her darkly before pulling forward and reclaiming her lips more forcefully and with more power than he had before.

His hand slid behind her head to stop it from slamming into the rocks behind her and he crushed his lips upon her own swollen pair, enjoying the whimper his tongue engulfed.

The heat from the kiss nearly exploded down his neck and into his chest, and his heart burned and thumped against the chest he'd drawn against his own creating a beating rhythm with one another, the melody to which her own heart drummed.

Was this what it felt like to not worry about business ties, and to do something just because it felt right?

The voice inside of him telling him not to let go made him feel like an idiot to even have to ask that question. He'd slept with girls before because of business,

But this unbearable heat had never caused him to go so wild and grow so passionate in his entire life.

Forget business; forget money and wealth, just for this one night, something inside of him whispered.

_'I doubt you'll regret it.'_

_'Girl, you're in for it now.' _One voice, the rational side of her warned.

_'But really now, is it so bad?'_ The other, one she rarely ever listened to except for the sake of her beloved Ootoro, responded.

_'…Not if he's that** damn good **of a kisser, it's not.'_

The kiss…

To be honest, was one of the most_ **incredible** _things she had experienced since the very first bite of seafood she had when she was 5 years old. That memory was burned into her mind, and she was positive this was about to join it.

It wasn't so much how she felt her body shift against his own so effortlessly, or the burning warmth of his skin touching hers. How he never let his eyes close for a second as they stared into hers and the strong grip around her waist keeping her standing made her forget everything else around her.

Something inside of her snapped, and when his hand sunk below her waist and to her bottom, she couldn't restrain her wonton gasp that set her cheeks on fire and made her spine arch from the soft stroke of his fingertips against her spine. That look in his eyes was dangerous and focused as his lips trailed back down her neck for the second time that night, bypassing the bites he'd left previously and creating fresh red marks to adorn the pretty pink ones.

Her fingernails created matching pink crescents on the shoulder blades she managed to grip onto, and that hiss and the way his tongue dipped into the curve of her collar bone only aided in the creation of another set.

Kyoya sent his fingertips lower, watching from the corner of his eye to see her reaction to how he toyed with the waist band of those blue and white bottoms. Apparently his handiwork on that tender flesh that stood stained with bites had made her numb from the waist down, her only reaction being a slight shiver and another of those delicious mewls she couldn't bite back no matter how hard she tried.

In spite of how focused he was on fueling that wildfire spreading throughout his limbs and shooting through his veins, he had to question why this was becoming so easy, both for him to perform and her to allow.

He hardly understood his own motivations, being able to understand her own would prove impossible if he was unable to understand himself. He knew she harbored some attraction to him,

This he had concluded earlier, now as she moved her own lips to his ear to nibble on it delicately and hesitantly, he was completely positive that she wasn't quite sure of what it was, either.

To take advantage of weakness was second nature to Kyoya, and to the Ootori's in general. But, he had been going against his normal beliefs since the moment they stepped out of those front doors to join their fathers for dinner.

If going against his everything had gotten him to where he was right this moment, than perhaps it was wise to continue the trend and be gentle with her instead of simply taking what he desired from an unsuspecting prey.

Those bites now looked angry and red, taking up so much of her neck and that delicate curve of her collar bone and the dip of her breasts. Easing down the intensity to a dull roar so that he wouldn't take this situation too far,

Kyoya slowly kissed each angry bite, allowing his hands to support her and stroke Haruhi's spine. He could still feel the sting of the claw marks in his back, and assumed from the tightening sensation as he flexed his back that they were bleeding freely.

As Haruhi's breathing stilled and the fog she'd fallen under seemed to flow away with the waterfall, the event that had just taken place hit her like a ton of bricks.

"What just… happened?"

Haruhi could recall how she planned to tease her way past Kyoya's defenses and somehow manage to reach her room before he could, but ended up looking down to the red marred flesh on her chest and neck that burned as she was eased back into the water.

Kyoya appeared to be fighting some kind of internal battle, unaware of the question she managed to whisper through the swollen lips and clenched teeth. He wasn't exactly sure where he'd summed up the great idea to attack Haruhi and throw himself onto her, (though she wasn't exactly objecting at the time) but now words as to explain WHY it had happened completely escaped him.

What could he say? He did it just because he **WANTED** to? Because she looked too **molestable** at the time to simply ignore her?

And what **DID** just happen, aside from an intense make out session and some underage groping? What had gone on in inside himself that even allowed him to act so uncontrolled and unrefined?

Ootoris didn't just go and attack their women- not that SHE of all people would **_EVER_** be considered HIS woman- and certainly not in such situations where rejection was a slim possibility.

Regaining his composure, Kyoya reached for his glasses and placed them on the bridge of his nose, hoping at least they could help him regain some brain function and speak sensibly.

"I do-"

"Your back's bleeding," Haruhi interrupted, touching his shoulder and recoiling when he hissed and grabbed her hand away. The hand he grabbed caught her attention, looking to those nails that concealed blood on her fingers and nail tips.

The connection made between their eyes told him that if he didn't allow her to access the damage she'd done, he wouldn't rest until she'd finally had her way. So, sighing, he turned his back to her and let her see the deep mars that had already began to close up.

Ten scratches stood out from the pale flesh on his back, and she watched the muscles ripple beneath her touch as she trailed a finger along the slightly jagged edges where her nails had caused the skin to tear. They didn't compare to the bruises forming on her chest, but she still felt sorry for causing him pain of her own accord.

"Sorry," Haruhi muttered again as she washed the blood off, kissing them each one by one, as her father had done with her as a small child.

"Is there a reason you're becoming intimate with my back?"

He asked her skeptically, though secretly he enjoyed how tender her lips were on his skin. He'd seen mothers kissing their children's bruises, and absently thought of how stupid the entire thing was; only medication and band-aids helped injuries heal. Now, having those first kisses on his self indulged injuries soothed away the burning and helped the pain slowly melt away.

Maybe kisses were the best homade remedy, after all.

"My father always used to put a kiss on any bump or bruise I got when I was little. I figured maybe it would help you, too."

Help him in more ways than one, rather. Haruhi hoped to god that if she played nice, he wouldn't add his scars to her Host Club debt; chances are her attendance gap was enough to hike it all the way back up to the original eight million with how many clients they were loosing.

"Ah." Was all he could manage, turning around to face her and placing an innocent peck on her lips before hoisting himself out from the pool and turning to face her.

"As invigorating as that was, I'm still not convinced of your apology. However,"

He continued as she looked about ready to interrupt with the line_ "you rich bastard!",_

"I believe that if your apology was sincere, you will have no objections to joining me on an outing today."

She should have just turned him down right then and there.

_'If an apology isn't enough then perhaps my word isn't, either. Yah, that's what I should have said…'_

Haruhi thought to herself as she glared at his back.

No amount of make-up had seemed suitable to cover all of those obvious bites and marks, not even the brands Kyoya had his bodyguards pick up from Hikaru and Kaoru. How he'd convinced those two to send make-up without letting them know he'd done unmentionable evils to her neck was beyond her,

And it'd been all for nothing as the reds and purples still shone clearly through the layers of make-up she'd already caked on.

Plan B?

A purple turtle neck rolled as far up as it could go, her chin tucked safely in the warmth of the oversized neck. Since it was near freezing outside, she'd also donned a tan cardigan sweater and dark washed skinny leg jeans that would keep her legs warm from the nippy winds. Thankfully, her father had remembered to pack sensibly for the weather, instead of the girly sundresses that nearly flowed out of the bag in her room.

In response to their unspoken agreement that no more furniture would be used to deter him from access to her room,

He had the legs bolted to every piece of movable furniture in her room. Just to be safe, he'd told her.

She simply called him a control freak and shut the door in his smug face.

Haruhi peeked through the side door after knocking and receiving no answer, which was no surprise to her these days, and found Kyoya deeply concentrating in front of his laptop.

_'Good, maybe he forgot-'_

"Have a seat, I'm nearly finished. You can wait until then."

_'Spoke too soon,' _Haruhi thought with a sweat drop and a grimace, plopping down on the couch closest to his desk and the laptop and boy using it.

It seemed their telepathy was working again, as he had donned a long sleeved purple shirt and dark jeans as well, though hanging loosely around his hips was a stylish black belt.

Sometimes she thought there was a camera installed in her room and he did these little things just to freak her out.

Sometimes he wondered the same thing.

She wouldn't put it past him, though. He could, seeing as she still hadn't asked for the account number to the inheritance left to her by Sudao Murakami, and therefore she couldn't even afford a camera, let alone to install a hidden one in his room.

Kyoya shot a glance her way, watching briefly as she tucked her chin into the neck on her shirt and played with her hands in a way that reminded him of a shy five year old on her first day of school. In a twisted sort of way, he'd turned her into that fumbling five year old, stumbling onto new territory that she wasn't quite sure she wanted to journey across without a helping hand. Only, his classes were in the lessons of seduction and foreplay, not learning your ABC's and not to eat the paste and macaroni noodles.

He blinked as an image popped onto his screen, something his hand had apparently clicked on as he searched for a missing file; one of Haruhi's old school pictures. The image of her with her long brown locks and bangs, looking too adorable for words in a female school uniform didn't help his slight fetish for school uniforms. The one underneath it, of her in a sailor's bikini quite like what she had worn only an hour ago certainly caused him to cross his legs in an effort to keep himself calm.

How he'd managed to click that file at a time like this was beyond him. Enough work. It was getting to the point that if he tried working much more he'd end up 'accidentally' playing out the scenes beginning to pan out in his mind. How he** HATED **teenage hormones and the fact that they only begin acting up NOW, of all times.

How abruptly he stood from his chair and grabbed the black coat behind him startled Haruhi out of her thoughts, and led her to follow him down the stairs of the house.

"I'd ask you not to mention what occurred earlier to anyone else," he spoke under his breath as his hand rested on the door handle.

"But I'm positive that you already realize how foolish that would be."

How blatantly he'd just asked her to forget something so unexplainable and unusual for her was part of the reason she was glaring daggers at his back.

The other part, which she would under no circumstances own up to, was the fact that now she felt like he regretted it, and in turned caused her to ask herself if she'd been what was considered 'repulsive' by men. Sure, she hadn't done anything like it before,

But I mean, who did that kind of thing, anyway? At least, that was how she saw it.

Things like that never occurred in her world. Random blistering make out sessions only happened in overdramatisized romance novels and cheesy movies, not to real live people.

It was becoming chillier as it neared Christmas time, and the frost over the grass as it glazed the morning dew crunched beneath her shoes. In an effort to spare the grass, she stepped in the prints Kyoya had left before her, and as she struggled to keep up, he turned his head to watch her struggle to match his longer strides with a bated grin.

"What?" She asked him innocently as she reached his side, and he opted to choose silence as his answer, climbing into the drivers' side door and pulling out a key. As she got in and he started the car,

It hit her.

"Do you even have a driver's license?" Kyoya behind the wheel of a car was enough to be thankful she didn't drive. He could get away with murder easily enough, and she was sure a hit-and-run would be simple to cover up if they never found a body.

It was a battle to keep the "like you were" out of her head. She was alive and well and that was that. End of story.

"Would I be driving if I didn't?"

Was his casual retort, rolling out of the driveway without a second glance to the side. Apparently wealthy people weren't afraid of car accidents, Haruhi noted as the tires screamed beneath the car and they sped off down the long, winding road.

**"WHO TAUGHT YOU TO DRIVE?"** She screamed as she held onto the door for dear life. Kyoya was the epitome of calm as he sent a side glance her ways and arched an eyebrow at her obvious insult.

"Itoshi. I'm a relatively safe driver compared to him."

Apparently, teddy bears with bombs inside of their smiling heads were safer than Kyoya's driving. He gracefully evaded a handful of shocked pedestrians, a dog, someone who looked suspiciously like her father, and was honked at by an angry bald man for taking their parking spot.

Haruhi's foot was shaking as she stepped out of the car, and she swore it'd been her equilibrium being torn under that gravel Kyoya had torn down, leaving it in a shredded pile somewhere between the point where she swore never to go against her father again if she made it out alive and promising she'd donate to charities when she was older if she just made it through this one car ride.

The keys clinked in his hand as he tossed them in the air, clicking the beeper to lock the car and set the alarm. They'd parked by a string of shops in front of a small park on the wealthy side of town. Only a handful of people strolled down the sidewalks and lounged on benches, mostly middle aged or older.

Again, he directed her with his hand pressed to the small of her back and brought her to a small boutique she'd never been into before. One glance at the price tags on the window displays clearly reminded her why.

"You brought me shopping?" was her obvious question, walking into the door held open by a shop keeper and into the warmth of the shop.

"It'll be… interesting," he acknowledged her with a sly smile and his sharply narrowed eyes.

"Bastard," she muttered under her breath as she looked around in wonder.

The light wooden floors were polished brightly, and the white walls were tastefully decorated with modern designs and fashion. Taking the few steps into the heart of the boutique, her hand slid absently down the stairs railing she swore was genuine silver.

They were greeted warmly as they easily recognized Kyoya, and when her name was asked,

She looked up to Kyoya who gave a nod for her to speak.

"Haruhi," was her short response, and the wide eyes and showy smiles didn't hesitate to make her feel uneasy.

"Oh it's so nice to have your patronage! I hope you'll enjoy our selections."

A curt nod dismissed those well trained ladies who kept a watchful eye on the pair and spoke under their breath.

"They're talking about me," Haruhi said in annoyance. Out of earshot, Kyoya didn't hesitate to respond with out the stiff formality these places required.

"Everyone is talking about you; try giving them something decent to talk about."

What he meant by that blew past her and into the upbeat American pop songs playing in the background. She smiled as she watched Kyoya's nose crinkle lightly in distaste, be it at the music or the material he was fingering, but it faded as she saw that the small pile he had in his arms wasn't traditionally men's wear.

"You're kidding me, right?" She asked him as she selected one of the shirts in his arms and examined it. Why Kyoya was wasting his time trying to find something for her to wear bothered her, and she had a feeling it was merely for amusement on his own part.

"The deal was you would comply with my wishes and join me for the day. Are you going to go back on your word, Haruhi?" His question was bated with her dignity on the line, something she couldn't just go back on. Taking the clothes with a sigh, she muttered about rich bastards for the second time that day.

As they played dress up and Kyoya lounged on an overstuffed loveseat placed in front of the changing stalls.

The outfits came and went, and as Kyoya played the role of the critic, she found herself anticipating what he'd say to each new outfit she came out with,

Making it into a little game.

Looking into the mirror, she normally would have bypassed anything leather, like those tight leggings underneath the gold mini skirt. The top half of her was covered with the white strapless shirt that tied behind her neck and the matching gold half jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

_'You look like a cheap stripper, Haruhi," _was what she expected to hear when she opened the curtain and stepped out into the open.

"KAWAIII!" The shop keepers squealed, snapping pictures and having her turn this way and that to show off her petite figure. She caught his glance downward and watched as he leaned back in contemplation,

Biting the tip of his thumb.

"Sold," he said simply and to the cashiers delight.

"What? Are you kidding me? When would I wear this," She held open the jacket and pointed to how open the shirt was on the sides, slitting down to easily show the side straps of her bra.

As the cashier lady held up two little cups suspiciously shaped like breasts, she instantly regretted asking. As Kyoya took them from the lady and fingered them experimentally, looking from the flopping thing in his hand to her, the fact that she valued her dignity over her gut instinct that this was a bad idea seemed rather foolish and masochistic.

"See? Now there is not problem with the shirt, is there?"

Forget playing games, it had just turned into a nightmare.

Ten shopping bags, thirteen shoe boxes, five wigs, three hand bags, and a pair of cuplets later, Haruhi leaned against the car door with a sigh, waving to the friendly shop clerks returning to the store.

They were high pitched and giggly, sure, but they reminded her of her patrons at the Host Club, and of how they would all feel so betrayed by her deception.

"Is my apology believable, now?" Haruhi asked hotly as she narrowed her eyes up towards him.

A chill broke her frigid glare and she couldn't help but shiver beneath the coat she had worn out of the store over her own clothes to block the nippy weather.

"You haven't done anything particularly convincing yet, I don't believe," his teasing voice answered back as he met her eyes with a smirk evident in his own.

"Hey! Kyoya-"

She protested, stopping when the car behind her beeped when the doors were unlocked.

"Alright, alright. Get in." Kyoya ordered, sweeping over to the drivers side and revving the engine as she looked to her half open door skeptically. Was another near death experience really worth it?

As he began backing up suddenly, the urge not to be stranded amidst total strangers overpowered her regard for her own life, and she hopped in, glaring daggers as she snapped her seatbelt securely into its buckle. _**(DO THIS AT HOME, KIDS.)  
**_

Staring out over the dashboard, he looked too innocent for his own good and when he looked over to meet Haruhi's accusing pout, the "what?" sounded far too rehearsed to be genuine.

"You're a real asshole sometimes." Haruhi admitted bluntly, turning in her seat and crossing her arms with a 'hmph.'

How childish she looked from the corner of his eyes made his lips tighten against what was bursting to come out;

Rumbling laughter.

It started out as a small chuckle, and he pressed a knuckle to his lips to suppress it before Haruhi noticed. As her pink lips pouted more and her chin tipped upwards to his mocking chuckle, he realized he couldn't hold back the full blown laughter and placed a hand on his forehead, thankful they were at a stoplight.

Laughing at her took it one step too far, and as she shot her head over to accuse him of only making fun of her,

She had to stop. The way his eyes were beginning to glisten from the verge of tears and how his mouth was spread into a handsome grin completely blew her away even after his laughter died down and all that remained was that small grin and partially closed eyes.

How blunt she'd been had struck a chord inside of him; not in anger, but in humor of how bluntly she was able to say what very few ever dared to mutter even when they believed themselves to be out of ear shot. He laughed at how easily she expressed everything she felt about him, and how he'd found it so complicated to even accept the fact that he might have feelings for anyone aside from himself and his sister. Somehow, Haruhi really did manage to make life's most complicated tasks appear so simple and mundane, and he really needed that.

"You should laugh more often, even if you are an Ootori," she joked with him, and he arched his eyebrow in mock question.

"If I should laugh more, then perhaps you should create the opportunities for that to happen."

The traffic released the breath it was holding after he said that. For a moment, the car horns paused and she stared at him with her wide caramel eyes, for the first time seeming to understand an underlying message someone was shooting her underneath a seemingly innocent statement.

Had he just…? **Noooo.**

Could it have meant…? **Not a chance.**

Maybe.

_Possibly._

**Really?**

As those car horns blazed her back to earth, she saw him looking at her curiously, having been attempting to ignore the empty stare she'd been giving him for the past five minutes or so. Maybe she finally understood what he meant, though he wouldn't hold his breath. She was denser than a rock at times, and when it came to romantic interests, she was denser than a handful of diamonds.

Cheeks flushing from embarrassment, Haruhi turned around in her seat and stared out at the road ahead of her until Kyoya put the car in break by a small café.

The crazy beating in her chest as she looked up to read the sign only accelerated in acknowledgement at those familiar green umbrellas and French style front doors.

Café Kiki.

"What're we doing here?" She asked in shock, only to turn and see that he'd already exited the car and was walking past the open front door and a curious looking waitress.

Heaving a sigh didn't help to alleviate the gathering paranoia as she looked both ways before exiting the car and nearly jogging towards Kyoya, her chocolate colored boots beating lightly on the ground.

"Can we please just-"

"They didn't go away, even after all that rain…" she heard Kyoya murmur to himself as he crouched down to look towards the asphalt on the road. Meeting where his eyes seemed to rest, she saw how there was a faded red color smearing against the entire expanse of the lane where she had been struck down in. When she met him on the ground, her knees hadn't given her much choice in the matter, and she stilled herself against his shoulder.

"I really bled that much?" Haruhi asked in irony.

That car accident had seemed so far away and long ago compared to everything that had been piled up into her lap these past few days. Needless to say, she had not even thought of how much blood she'd lost, even though her chart had clearly stated she'd required two blood transfusions she had been unconscious for.

These legs of hers would never be the same, but the price for her injuries had been worth it in the end. She'd managed to save another person, a friend, from having to suffer injuries she knew she was more capable of handling, and for that she was glad.

She knew Kyoya was special to her, and that since it was him, her reaction had been less of a 'what if' question of whether to save him or save herself, and more of a 'just do it'. Regardless, she felt that even if she had to ask herself that question, the outcome would have been the same regardless if it had been him, a waitress, her father, or even that Éclair girl who had nearly ruined the Host Club.

That blood stain just sent chills up her spine, though.

He'd had her clothes from that day burned, and she hadn't asked about them once since she woke up from the hospital. The bag of clothes his bodyguards and himself had picked up and the coat she borrowed from him had been enough to satisfy her, so he wasn't about to bring up the topic.

Stopping here, at the place where both of their lives had spiraled out of control had been an impulse he wasn't capable of ignoring. Now that she was able to walk well enough and he could leave the house without hearing an earful from his father,

He wanted to see if this place had changed like they had.

Everything was exactly the same, even the delicious odors, aside from how the yellow lines in the middle were tinged with a rusted red shade that was the only remains of the accident. Her blood.

It was the same blood that he'd stared at as he tried to rouse her from the temporary coma, and that had stained the new white shirt he'd worn to meet her when she'd requested his company out of the blue.

He still remembered where he was when his pocket had vibrated and he'd nearly ignored it.

On his way to meet with one of their partners' daughters in an attempt to do what his father termed _"wooing the backstage party",_ that obnoxious vibrating caused him to whip out the phone and see just who had dared text his private number.

When he read her name, he had to re-read it and make sure his glasses weren't smudged. The message was simple and to the point, just like her, so there was no chance that it was a prankster like Kaoru or Hikaru that had gotten hold of her cell phone somehow.

Telling the driver to turn around and take him to Yoshiro Private Library had been a whim, and having to listen to Nanako whine on the other end when he apologized for having to cancel had put him off about deciding to meet Haruhi in the first place. When he walked in, a smile and his looks had been enough to get one of the librarians to point him in the direction of Haruhi, and when he saw her struggling to reach that top spot on the shelf, he'd inwardly smiled at how stubborn she still was.

The step latter was only two aisles down, yet she had paid it no mind in an effort to do it herself. The skirt had risen to her mid thigh and showed more skin than he had seen from her in quite a long time, and the form fitting blouse only added to how feminine she was underneath her Ouran Academy uniform.

Deciding to take that chance meeting and see what had her contacting him after nearly a year of her merely handing the telephone to her father when he called had changed his life in a way he'd never predicted,

Just as Sudao had changed his life throughout the years Kyoya learned the ways of business. No, he had not taken on Sudao's calm and kind personality traits the older man had tried so hard to instill in him,

But after he passed on, the message that change was needed was still evident to Kyoya; he just did not have a reason to make that change.

Looking back on it now, he wondered if Sudao had possessed the innate ability to see into the future, preparing him with the lessons he needed to learn and then providing him with the perfect reason to put those lessons into action, if he could only grow past his stubbornness. It was either that, or the man loved to play matchmaker beyond the grave.

Kyoya sighed, knowing he would never know the answer no matter how much he allowed it to bother him, and accepted that everything happened for a reason. Now, if only he could accept that reason,

Maybe he'd be able to make acceptable progress.

Gently Kyoya placed his hand on her shoulder and didn't bother saying anything as she turned her head slowly to meet his eyes.

He knew what he saw in them; it was the same thing he saw every time the topic of her great grandfather was tossed onto the table. A strained smile worked its way onto her lips, but it didn't light up her eyes as it tended to, and that made his heart thump a little too harshly in his chest for his liking.

"Would you like to eat here?" He asked, giving her the option to turn him down and request another place. He didn't want to push her into a tense situation by making her dine at the place she nearly died.

"Could we just…" she began, and he already fingered the keys in his pocket.

"Eat outside this time? I don't want to go in just yet."

Kyoya released the keys, using his hand to push himself up and offer it to Haruhi, who looked at it before accepting his offer and trying her best to ignore how her palm tingled when she let go.

They took their seats at the table farthest from where the blood still stained the black road and accepted the menus politely, thankful for a different server who seemed to take more interest in Haruhi than in her handsome companion. At least, Kyoya was thankful. Haruhi shot him the **_"help me"_** look as the girl chattered on and on about their house specials.

"I believe you'd simply adore the strawberry and mango smoothie I make, Miss…?"

"Ah, wouldn't you say it's a bit too cold out for a smoothie?" Kyoya stepped in, arching an eyebrow at the accusing glare sent his way by the waitress for undermining her shot at flirting. Everyone loved her smoothies, anyways, regardless of the weather.

"Yes, you're right. I think I'll have hot chocolate, if you don't mind. I believe it would be delicious if you prepared it, even though it isn't one of your smoothies." Some of the host club hospitality still flowed naturally through her veins as she shot a kind smile at the fawning girl, and she felt a little guilty as she sauntered off, peeping through the windows every now and then to catch another glimpse of her.

Turning back to Kyoya, she looked at him innocently as he regarded her with an amused look.

"We were right to call you the natural host. I would have sworn you had a preference in women just now if I didn't know first hand how naïve that would make me."

"Forgive me for learning a little too well at what I'm taught, _sensei_."

Her sarcasm elicited a small and rather uncharacteristic snort from Kyoya as he crossed his legs and leaned his chin on his cupped palm.

"I believe you've stepped out with me in order to prove that to me already, _Haru-chan_."

As they passed sly insults back and fourth until the same waitress came with their hot chocolate, it felt like some shape and form of normality had worked it's way back into them, allowing them to chat so calmly and naturally like they did when she had first come to stay with the Ootori.

"I do believe you are beginning to resemble an Ootori more and more as you assimilate to us." Her curious expression looked up from her mug as he continued.

"As I suspected, you didn't completely read your medical chart, did you?"

Haruhi shook her head through a mouth full of cocoa.

"When your blood work was done, there had been only one donor of AB type blood, which happened to be Itoshi, my brother. I suppose they were correct to say that you take on some traits and characteristics from the original carrier of your new blood."

As if expecting to look down and see her veins running with a different color other than their usual blues and purples, (she suspected they would be black), they looked no different than the last time she'd gazed down at her wrist.

Now the reason she felt more prone to mouthing off when she'd usually fume about it in private seemed so simple and understandable. At least now she knew nothing was wrong with her, like PTSS (Post-traumatic stress syndrome) or MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder) due to all of this insanity that was now her everyday life. All she had to do now was blame it on the Ootori.

"Aah. If I start wearing glasses and tapping at a computer all night, I'll know who to blame," she responded coolly, stirring the cocoa and taking a sip.

Feeling pleased with her reaction, he returned to his own mug, praying lightly that their annoying waitress hadn't gotten the bright idea to spit in his cocoa.

Too bad he hadn't thought to switch mugs with Haruhi.

Sipping hot cocoa at a tiny café with one Kyoya Ootori proved to be more enjoyable than she thought. It was sunny outside, and the air was chilly, but it made the warm melted chocolate all the more enjoyable. Steam warmed her face as her cheeks ripened and grew rosy, along with her warmed lips.

"Ah," she mumbled as some of the crème dabbed onto the tip of her nose and the side of her cheek. As she moved to wipe it away, a third hand dabbed it away with a cloth, and she looked over to see Kyoya placing the napkin back at his side.

"Thanks, but I could have done it myself, you know."

It wasn't until she looked back down at her cocoa that a small smile tugged at her lips, and for the first time in a long while,

Everything was calm.

"Ahhh! Haruhi! And Kyoya! Oh, my precious daughter and mother of my child have left papa out of the family gathering!"

Quote that,

Everything **WAS** calm.

Until Tamaki came strolling along with an obnoxious looking women's hat on his head, an attractive… person who seemed extremely annoyed under the free arm Tamaki had wrapped around their shoulders, and two dogs that looked extremely content walking alongside one another, the golden one she could only guess was Antoinette.

Kyoya and Haruhi sighed in unison as they looked at one another and shared the same thought,

"_**why me?" **_

_**

* * *

**_

**HO. LY. CRAP.**

**Shoot me.**

**Go on, take the proverbial double barrel shot gun, or boom stick as the uneducated and nearly mentally handicapped call it,**

**Hold the muzzle to my head,**

**And clap the trigger. I loaded it with aspirin and apologies, so don't worry, I'll still be here,**

**Struggling to dish out more chapters. Again.**

**This chapter has a different feel to it than all of the other chapters, I believe, because I… well, Caitlin needs to get her groove back. Wonder how you can help her? **

**So, Kyoya played with stick on breast cuplets in broad daylight, I gave you SUPER SMUT without the raunchy smex that MIGHT be coming your way later... And I gave you all of this in the hopes that maybe you'll forgive me for how the next chapter is going to go, **

**because there may not be so many dry eyes after todays after glow has work off. **

**So,  
**

**REVIEW.  
**

**REVIEW, PLEASE.**

**REVIEW, POR FAVOR.**

**REVIEW, SIL VOUS PLAIT.**

**… please?**


	8. Curriculum vitae

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine not mine not mine not mine not mine! Now, what's not mine, you ask? OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB. What IS mine? The Plot. What's not mine also? Vulnerable by Secondhand Serenade. I don't own the lyrics to that song, never have and never will, so there. **

**Bonjour, mon amis. **

**Don't ask where i've been, because truthfully I myself don't know or remember. Something to do with school, pot luck dinner, late nights, something about a decent amount of water making its way into my bag and all over my school papers and note books and my god damn book for personal reading and enjoyment, Never Suck a Dead Mans Hand because ONE OF MY FRIENDS (Khyati) didn't cap my bottle of water just right, and hadn't screwed it all the way closed. **

**So, you get a twenty six page chapter because I love you all so much and I want more reviews to feed and fuel my desire for attention. **

**=D **

**Sankyuu. **

**Oh, and please forgive me if there is not as much smut and fluff in this chapter as I have let you all grow accustomed to. **

**I DO NOT believe in being lovey dovey every second of every day. **

**=_= That's just annoying. So, you get a little bit of angst and a personal insert from ME and about ME, but translated into and about Haruhi and her life and current position. So, yes, that was me, all me, yadda yadda... **

**Curriculum vitae - The course of one's live **

" Hi Tamaki… and, um, you are?"

Asked a slightly bemused Haruhi at the sight of his smaller companion. The look on his face was absolutely priceless; how half lidded grey eyes narrowed up at the bouncing blonde making his way to squeeze the breath from his beloved daughter. His lips quirked as her cheeks blossomed pink from her lungs being crushed under a white suit jacket and the purple long-sleeved sweater beneath that complimented his eyes brimming on the verge of crystal tears.

_'Crocidle,' _she assured herself. Anything to grab some attention.

"Ahh, my dearest Haruhi, it is so good to see you out in the light of the day, having a mommy daughter day! Though I'm upset you didn't invite daddy for family time…"

All three companions sighed as they noticed how his eyes dimmed and his posture instantly slouched, leaning himself on Haruhi as she slowly teetered under his weight.

"H-hey-" She protested as she felt herself falling towards the concrete. Two hands caught her, watching as Tamaki caught his balance on one leg and the boy assisting him, merely grabbing the hem of his jacket and giving it a good tug, whipping him back to stand beside him without a blink.

"Ah, Naoki-kun, thank you for saving my beautiful daughter and my handsome, perfectly symmetrical fa-"

"You almost fell on my dog, you idiot."

Yep, Haruhi decided she liked this guy, whoever he happened to be.

Passing a small thank's to Kyoya for grabbing her, she brushed herself off and looked again at the cocoa cup that was slowly beginning to cool from the frosty air. Rembering the rich taste of the smooth chocolate on the tip of her tongue, she resumed sipping the cocoa as the other boys mimicked her and parked themselves in chairs, only Kyoya resided beside her instead of across, where Naoki planted himself firmly and swatted Tamaki's hand from trying to take a swig from Kyoya's abandoned cocoa.

"Does that cocoa have your name on it? I don't think so."

"B-but… mother doesn't mind sharing with father, does he? After all, carpe diem!" Tamaki smiled brightly, lifting the blue cup to his parted lips once again, only to have the cup snatched away and slid across the table to the true owner.

"I believe you mean what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine." Haruhi corrected through her cup, resisting the sudden urge to roll her eyes so far into her eye sockets they could not be brought out to see the dumbstruck look on the blondes face.

"Isn't that what I said?" The blonde asked innocently, looking from one half lidded gaze to the other in conformation that he was indeed right, as the beautiful people always were.

"Moron," Naoki chided, ruffling Antoinette's ears as she lolled her head in his lap in a cheerful but embarrassed agreement.

Kyoya decided this boy would be more pleasant to keep around if it meant that Tamaki could be sedated with his sharp tongue. If it came down to it, Kyoya was willing to go to almost any length to find a way to still Tamaki's horrendous mood swings. It was… embarrassing, to say the least, not to mention a deterrent from business.

"Ah, interesting breed," Kyoya offered, bending down to look the dog straight into its eyes. Indeed, it was strange seeing a Husky in these areas. Normally, they were hoarding sheep and cattle in farmlands or saving children from burning buildings. Oh, wait, those are collies.

He was glad no one could hear his blistering mistake that he severely scolded himself for making. Really, comparing that dog to a collie and getting them confused. His choice of company was really rubbing off on him. For good measure, he patted the crème colored fur atop the dark accessing eyes and returned. It was always good to be polite to the possessions of those who could be of some use to you.

When finally their stranger was introduced, it seemed like the unanswered question was looming between the Ootori and Suoh boys sitting across from one another.

A flick of the eyebrows asked Kyoya a question,

_'is there something wrong?'_ to which Kyoya arched one slender eyebrow, countering with another ominous question.

_'I'm not sure, is there?'_

He knew Tamaki inside and out. Women were easily summoned and dismissed from Tamaki's presence in an effort to continue convincing those who watched him from patriarchal balconies. They waited for the slightest failure to become Tamaki, this Kyoya knew.

He'd seen how Tamaki had become so dull the days after graduation when he had disappeared due to "business". That had been when he realized his heart longed for someone, something he could never have.

**_'She doesn't love me, Kyoya.'_**

It had taken Kyoya days to pry more than that monotonous, repeating sentence out of Tamaki, his closest friend and one of those few who could annoy the bespectacled boy so badly, but make him feel so… welcomed in the next heartbeat, just by those innocent eyes.

He'd sat by and listened at the small Japanese table he'd had prepared for the day Tamaki would finally accept his request to join him for lunch. It had been relieving to finally hear that the idiot King realized that he had loved Haruhi all along,

Something that everyone except he and the girl of his affections seemed to understand.

**_'I may be blind to some things, but I know a woman in love when I see one, and it isn't me that she looks at with the eyes of a woman who's decided her heart's perfect match.'_**

Even in heartbreak, Kyoya was impressed by how romantically Tamaki could still speak as his tongue rambled out the painful truth.

**_'And who might that be then?'_** He'd asked in hopes that if he made this man disappear, Tamaki's hope might return and the soggy hankerchief's wouldn't be laying about the room and more salt from tears than sugar flavoring his tea.

Then he was only renewing himself with the bittersweet realities he was trying so hard to release.

In a small trance, remembering how brilliantly her eyes shone as she looked at the man Tamaki knew was only suited for his little Haruhi, he allowed a small lopsided grin to spread his lips from the swollen pout.

**_'The only man I'd give my daughter up to without a fight.'_**

Kyoya knew then and there that Tamaki must have made this man up in his dreams. There was no man that Tamaki envied and loved more than himself, Tamaki Suoh, the self proclaimed 'magnificent and handsome king.'

After that day, Tamaki had decided that no other woman could compare to the love that he felt for his only girl. Therefore, the only other option available to him was to turn his eye to the other gender.

**_'A man as beautiful as I will be loved by every man who sets his eyes upon this perfection!'_**

That, and he was **_'far too gorgeous to waste away as a hermit, denying those who so longed to feel his touch the satisfaction of their King.'_**

Well, whatever floated his boat.

_'Is this another one of your playboys,"_ Kyoya went on with a flick of his eyes toward Naoki, who was chatting politely with Haruhi.

How Tamaki's smile didn't become pained was all the answer he needed. Positive he'd get the details later, he settled upon the solution that Tamaki might actually be taking this boy seriously,

And all the better since the boy was one of the first to have common sense and an iron grip on Tamaki's fading sensibility to act responsibly.

Taking a sip from the luke warm cocoa, Kyoya relaxed as the tension completely faded from the small café table and listened to the three chat pleasantly, Haruhi going on about late night math study sessions, to which Kyoya received an arched brow from Tamaki, and Tamaki chatted happily about how well his precious Antoinette and Charlie were getting along.

How calm Haruhi looked as he glanced upon her face from the corner of his eye nearly made him smile. Her eyes looked on with their usual comforting softness, smiling without the pained weight that darkened their usual light caramel warmth. There was something in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't quite pinpoint, a feeling he had only experienced as he watched his brothers victories and achievements be praised by their father; something that he had rarely experienced from his own successes that he sought after throughout the tedious years of his life.

Seeing her glowing smile helped to distill that ugly feeling, and he was thankful that at least someone could bring her from her self enclosed grief. It was almost as if the world had turned upside right again and placed Haruhi back in her own shoes.

That, however, was only wishful thinking.

As their get together came to an end, Haruhi and Kyoya stood waving at the two disappearing figures before Kyoya paid the bill, deaf to Haruhi's protests.

A small quirk of her lips caught Kyoya's eye, watching her smile and knowing it was because their friend hadn't changed a bit.

"I think they get along rather well," the chocolate haired girl stated absently as she turned the radio on for the first time, stopping at a smooth jazz station. He felt his eyebrow quirk at her decision, taking her more for an American pop type, but none the less took the bait for a conversation.

"I'd have to agree with you. Naoki-san seems to keep Tamaki in line almost as well as you did."

Did being the key word. Glancing back toward Haruhi as she hummed her agreement lazily, he saw how the neck of her sweater had rolled down slightly, and a purple bite mark glared at him intently. Had he really bitten down that intensely?

Kyoya remembered the tearful conversation he'd had with Tamaki again, how painful Tamaki's realization had been, already aware that his heart had no chance of feeling his love recriprocated.

Looking down at Haruhi now, so calm and relaxed sitting beside him with his marks covering so much of her skin, he felt almost guilty. He was messing with the love of his best friends life, the one girl Tamaki could never have and would never take from this 'other man.'

Or attempt to, rather.

As far as her records went, she had never sent a single confession to a boy, be it at any of her public schools or at Ouran. No one had heard her speak romantically of any person, be them male or female. Surely, he had never heard her claim she loved anyone aside from her father and mother, and her friendly devotion to those she was close to, but the love in friendship and the love you have for a significant other were two entirely different oceans to cross.

_'Perhaps he was too scared to be rejected and resorted to justifying himself to me with a fabrication,'_ Kyoya pondered.

It was possible, he concluded. There was only one way to find out.

Scenery flew by as the faces outside blurred and the cars around them droned on. The traffic was light and allowed Kyoya to drift easily between the languidly moving vehicles, something he always enjoyed. From the outside, a person of his stature was always calm and composed,

And risks were looked down upon and chided.

Speed was one of the few indulgences he had ever allowed himself to become addicted to. Very few ever looked quickly enough to catch a glimpse of him behind the wheel, and even less had the privilege of riding in his passenger seat, Haruhi only being the third.

It was second nature to him as the wheels drifted over the frozen pavement and the hot engine revved even higher as he cut a sharp turn and rolled into a parking spot.

Haruhi was sure she felt her heart beat stop the moment she heard the tires scream from the intense friction on it's nearly bald tires. It didn't start again until the purr of the engine died away and faded with a contented sigh.

As her heart beat slowed down to a dull roar and the icy fear melted from her veins, Haruhi found the courage to open her eyes just wide enough to peep out from under her lashes.

She half expected to be sitting at a toll booth to heaven, or hell, since she WAS with Kyoya, after all, and waiting patiently in line to pay the toll and cross over into the next life and world.

As Haruhi reached Kyoya's side, she kept her gaze forward as a couple became a little too friendly on a park bench and Haruhi's modesty kicked in.

"A park? We came to a park?" Karuhi asked skeptically, looking around with a wary eye towards the playing children and their mothers lounging on cozy park benches, reading and chatting happily.

"Yes, thank you for taking the time to point that out to me," Kyoya retorted with teasing sarcasm, sliding his hands in his pockets and looking down at his companion briefly. Her wide eyes stared up at him, the tip of her nose slightly pink from the wind.

_'cute,'_ Kyoya thought absently.

"It's weird, having an Ootori in such a common setting."

Even looking up towards Kyoya, casually strolling along a cobbled pathway, you could still feel the air of subtle regality in the way his shoulders sat strongly and were set evenly to match his perfect posture and leisurely gait that every wealthy man seemed to naturally possess.

Believing that she was passing an insult his way, Kyoya turned from glancing at the cloud patterns and back down at the grinning Haruhi beside him.

Her eyes were set on something beside them, and he looked again at the couple affectionately sharing one of the more secluded park benches. How Haruhi's little pink nose became flushed with red and caught her cheeks on fire made the raven haired Ootori smirk in amusement.

"Judging from your reaction, I'm assuming you find public displays of affection deplorable?"

Through the moments that passed on in silence, Haruhi took in the clear blue of the sky and how only small cotton ball clouds dotted overhead, allowing the sweet sunshine to warm her cheeks partially from the chill in the air. All of the pent up frustration, that insatiable curiosity of the long dead questions she's let die on the tip of her tongue fading away slightly with the calm of the outdoors and the slow creak of swinging children.

Finally looking back to her companion who had set his gaze toward the still sky, she formed an answer behind her cheeky smile.

"Are you asking me because you want to know personally or is there another reason?" Pulling up the same answer he had giver her that day when she asked about his personal relations felt satisfying as Haruhi watched his eyes flicker in slight surprise and then saw his lips quirk up at the challenge.

"Would it offend you if I was asking for a personal reason," Kyoya countered with his hands placed lightly on his hips, narrowing his eyes down towards her in mockery.

It was beginning to look like everything that played out between them was nothing more than a game both refused to lose at and staked everything on winning. Anything that involved the Shadow King attempting any personal connections had to be a game played from a bout of boredom or sadism.

"Not in the least," she tagged on, continuing on to see where exactly this was going. Her boots tapped lightly on the paved path as they headed into the cover of the trees, once again bathed in shade and the nip of the season. Feeling the shiver make it's way through her coat and sweater, the wind picked up to set off the childless swings beside them.

Settling into the red plastic of the swing, she kicked off from the sand and placed her pink hands inside her coat pockets as Kyoya stood beside her, leaning against the steel pole.

The thoughts in her head dwindled and danced as she flew higher and higher, hooking her arms over the chains to keep herself from flying out. Every time her toes scraped the ground, she could feel her heart beat in her head, blocking out the urge to study, to wonder about her dead great grandfather, to want to somehow make her way back to familiarity and comfort. Her grasp at reality seemed to change every time she felt comfortable enough to take a breath.

"Well?" The raven haired boy prodded, cocking his head as her neck turned to stare at him with passing caramel eyes.

"I find things like that embarrassing," Haruhi finally answered.

It was mostly the truth, why she looked away from the romantic couple on the bench near the path. Seeing how she nearly bristled under her beau's touch had caused her neck to stiffen, and for her to curse the hairs on the back of her neck from standing up. How softly he'd rubbed her arm when she'd shivered made her realize she could smell how closely Kyoya was walking next to her; that velvet scent with the expensive cologne and fresh newspaper, like that night in the limo.

It hadn't been just because she was embarrassed for them, it was that she was embarrassed of the memories that she was certain everyone was now able to read. Haruhi was certain that everyone who saw her walking aside Kyoya could tell what had happened between them, and it was that which she found embarrassing.

"So then you find the subject of affection in general dissatisfying?" Kyoya continued on, crossing behind her and slowing the chains as she flew in front of him. As he dug his heels into the ground and held her weight in mid air, she tilted her head upwards towards his own and blinked once, twice, three times, up into those grey depths boring into her own wide carmel eyes.

"Or is it that you shy away from the thought of love and the instances that come along with it?"

'He's up to something,' she warned herself before selecting her answer carefully, swallowing with the hope that her tongue would comply with her wishes and demands.

"If I were to ask you that same question, would you answer as honestly as you expect me to?"

How casually she asked distracted him, as it was meant to, but when her rosy bottom lip tensed, how it always did when her honesty tried to push past it's solid barrier, her eyes spoke the answers she wouldn't allow her lips to utter.

_'It's complicated.' _The answer swirled a deeper color, fading back into the amber flecks and the recesses of warm caramel. Gently he brushed a finger over a wind ripened cheek, from her dainty chin and around the soft edge of her jaw to the dip of her ear, bringing a shiver into her shoulders as her gaze remained unwaivering.

How endearing it was to see her trying so hard to remain stern and detached.

"Perhaps if I had a reason to answer with honesty, I would consider revealing my own opinions on the matter."

_'And that complication would pertain to?' _The way his eyebrow arched elegantly above his eye asked her own, and she was yet again unaware of the answer swimming through her expressive eyes.

"Then I suppose that would be my answer to you as well."

_'What you would say if I told you the truth.'_ The nibble that only ripened her lips against the pale cream complexion of her skin, turning them into an enticing dusty rose caught his attention, lowering his eyes at the sight of them. The sight of how moist her lips became as a pink tongue slicked across them drew his own closer down, brushing the top of her temple with a pleasant kiss while his thumb stroked the flesh of her warming cheek.

"I see. And if you were to come across a reason to ever answer, I'll trust you to answer me truthfully and honestly."

How calming that touch was against her skin set off an alarm in the back of her mind, but the calm ebbing over her hit the snooze button. Living in the moment, game or not, was preferable to moving away from the warm comfort offered to her for the time being.

"Would it be fair to ask you the same thing, then?" She spoke without realizing the question had remained unspoken as his thumb continued stroking the flush on her cheek.

"Possibly."

Those lips spoke, the light gloss of a smile edging them upwards as the glare on his glasses hid his eyes. As he began inching his lips closer to hers, his pocket rang, snapping both of them out of their stupor and bringing Haruhi upright in her swing to conceal her rosy cheeks, praying his sharp eyes hadn't caught on to her shock and embarrassment.

The number that read across his screen rarely showed up, though he knew it by heart from all the times he'd held his thumb over the 'call' button to give the man on the other end a piece of his mind.

All those years, he'd simply sighed and pocketed the state of the art cell phones, reminding himself of how easily one uncouth movement could cost him everything he'd worked so hard to obtain.

"Yes?" Kyoya attempted to keep his voice as cool and collected as it usually sounded from behind the façade that he struggled to put firmly back in place.

Hearing that even baritone on the other end of the silver cell phone didn't help with her embarrassment; having his father call didn't help ease her ruffled nerves.

Her heart beat raced, as if some kind of adrenaline suddenly began running through her veins.

Something was wrong, the sharp knock of reality going through her stomach.

Was it the way Kyoya looked over to her with those sharp eyes, dead serious as he turned his back to her and murmured inaudibly into the speaker? Or how his hand tightened against the chains attached to her seat and the slight tremble shook her and made her shoot straight up from the seat?

"Kyoya?" she asked, forcing herself to push past her panic, brushing it away as a childish reaction. Maybe it was just personal business.

His hand encircled around her wrist, sliding down to her hand as he tugged her back to the car, jerking her forward, her weak knees gave out from beneath her and sent them to the ground, that painful tingle spreading through her muscles once again in protest. All the walking had worked her already weak muscles down to jell-o and were refusing to comply with a glaring Kyoya.

"I'll… we'll be there shortly." Snapping the phone shut and slipping it back into his pocket, he asked through gritted teeth if she was able to stand and walk. A half-hearted attempt only sent her back to kneeling on the concrete, and a hiss of pain shot through her teeth as she bit back a curse.

"Maybe if you hadn't pulled me so hard," she muttered darkly through the shooting pain, her eye twitching as he sighed and let go of her hand turning his back on her.

Was he really going to just walk away and leave her there?

The concrete was cold beneath his hand as he steadied himself in front of her, and he felt his knee pop from his lack of exercise recently. He really needed to work out again.

"You're wasting my time, Haruhi." Kyoya warned, the glare shot over his shoulder enough to send the message 'get on or I really will leave you here.'

It was little looks like that which made Haruhi comply without comment, slinging her arms loosely around his neck and feeling strong arms secure her slim legs around his waist.

It hadn't taken nearly as long to reach his car with his long, deliberate strides, and as he placed her into the passenger seat, he fumbled to insert the clasp of the seat belt buckle into the holder, his fingers fumbling in a rare sign of urgency.

"I can do it myself! Just tell me what's wrong!"

Haruhi shouted, snatching the buckle away and popping it into place with a 'snap!'

The car door slamming in her face and Kyoya sliding in behind the steering wheel was her only answer.

He couldn't even look her in the eyes.

_**Tasting this bittersweet resolve, I feel it deteriorate on the tip of my tongue. **_

_**I feel that surge of evolution riding under the tinge of spice, leaving a burning trail down my throat to remind me once again that it won't be easily ignored. **_

_**It's worse than fire, it doesn't burn to kill or destroy, nor to protect and barricade. It burns to prove a point, to punish the melancholy I have brought upon myself. **_

_**I ask it why the hastily prepared bittersweet remedy is such an enemy to myself and my entity, though it never answers. Instead if stings behind the corners of my eyes, pricking the tears to come forward, **_

_**But they are held back by pride and disbelief. **_

_**The fire warns me that reality is hastily approaching, something you always knew was hidden in the shelves with the cooking spices and parsley, but you never savored or even noticed. The spice stepped forward, **_

_**Speaking for its brothers and sisters hidden away in the cabinet; "You've always lived life with the bland flavor of self seclusion," **_

_**It finally told me, sliding down the back of my throat and choking away all arguments and retorts I could have spat back. **_

"_**Did you really think we would never come?" **_

_**And suddenly, I'm overwhelmed with that onslaught of flavors I never tried, spices I always avoided, and my bittersweet seclusion crumbles under the formulated "what if's" and "how come's" lingering in it's place. **_

_**I would have preferred the invigorating immortal taste of sweet, delicate ambrosia. **_

_**Surely Eternity is sweeter than reality, I reminded the spice through the burning of my lungs, choking down water to chase the fiery remains and trail. **_

"_**Ahh, you may say that, but in the end, you will have to admit to yourself that Eternity and Ambrosia are only bittersweet." **_

_**In the end, the things you can not have are always the sweetest, and what hinders you will burn away at any resolve and hopes, dreams, and desires designed to wash it away. **_

_**But once obtained, you'll learn the real hidden truth behind that irresistible, beckoning sweet lure; **_

_**In the end, it's always bittersweet. **_

_**As is the realization that you really can never have it, use it, hold it or obtain it, and that is truly one of the most painful lessons, aside from learning to value those you truly love. **_

The words made their way onto empty paper, now filled with slowly printed characters ebbing life away from the hand holding the pencil and into those symbols standing in for fading emotions. How calm her fathers face appeared under the oxygen mask struck her the most. Not his sickly pale skin, nor his cold hands, but that fold of his lips, how it was creased slightly upward as if he was pleased made her heart beat ache.

Her father always asked for pleasant dreams, she hoped that right now, as she prayed on and on at his bedside that for once those dreams would bless him with peaceful rest. Let her live through the nightmares, but please, don't let her father suffer any more than he has!

_'Maybe he's with mother,'_ Haruhi wondered through the choking tightness in her throat. It burned as the sob was squeezed back into her throat, constricted and twisted into a slight whimper as she squeezed that hand as tightly as she could.

_'Please, dad, I need you! Sweet dreams or not, please… I need you here.'_

Over and over, prayer after prayer, not an eyelid twitched or a finger moved to reassure her that her prayers were reaching through to him, that somewhere inside his mind where he might be enjoying tea with her mother that she could hear her as a whisper in the background.

How pained her face looked, she didn't care.

The light began dwindling from the room. She didn't make a move to flip the switch. The light hadn't helped prevent the situation, she told herself as she licked her lips, her pink tongue brushing over the salt from spilled tears, and for the first time, she realized that the tears she'd pent back for so long finally brimmed over her prideful eyelids and stained pink cheeks.

Looking down again at her father, the make up washed away from his face, he looked so human and weak, exposed to the elements her heritage brought upon him. This was what he had been protecting his precious daughter from, all of these tears he'd kept her safe from with those smiles and lies. She remembered the time she was finally old enough to go out into the snow by herself, and looking down at her little pink boots with the untied laces,

She had wondered where her mommy was to tie them for her.

Now, as she looked down and saw her father's hand resting lifelessly in her own, she wondered where her father was to keep her safe again.

And again, it was her fault.

"Do you know how my mother died?" Her voice forced out, hoarse from the swollen muscles that had choked back countless sobs and cries for her father.

Kyoya adjusted his glasses from where he sat on the couch underneath the window. His voice, still smooth and calm, was ailed from the hours of discussions with doctors about Ranka's condition, his stats, his chances of pulling through. It had been two hours since he spoke last, and nearly six since Haruhi had uttered one word.

"No," he answered softly. Those records had never been obtainable, even to himself and his brother. Not one member of the host club contained one sliver of information as to the death of Haruhi's mother. Now, he wasn't sure if the opportunity to learn the truth was well worth it as he looked away from the still body in the bed.

"It was cold outside," Haruhi began, clearing her throat as she moved to brush a long strand of hair from his eyes, though he could not see.

"Mama loved it when it was cold. She had been inside the house all day, decorating for Christmas." When the memory came to life inside of her mind, it felt like a warmth spread throughout her body and past the sterile chill in the hospital room, almost like she was once again basking in the glow of the living room Christmas lights. The smile working it's way into her lips was only hindered by the tears that still flowed out of those cloudy eyes.

"I was sick with a cold, and I remember how warm the living room was under the holiday sweater my mum had put on me. She'd set me to stringing the popcorn for the tree, but I kept sneezing everywhere and I couldn't sit still long enough to get the thread through the popcorn."

It was so vivid, this memory, even Kyoya began to see it. How they would have set up a tree in the corner of the living room, and a little Haruhi seated on the oversized couch that seemed to dwarf her even more. The endearing thought of her little pink nose as she rubbed it with her sleeve and wrinkled it in concentration caused his skin to tingle, as though he was seeing something so personal to her that it was physically pleasing to him. As his arms tingled, he waited for her to continue as she choked back the lump in her throat.

"When I couldn't thread anymore, I got upset and asked why everyone liked Christmas so much, all it was about was giving and receiving presents. 'It's being able to spend time with the people you love that's the real gift, Haruhi', she'd told me, but I didn't really understand her. Then she got the bright idea to go visit dad when he was working since the bar was always filled with usuals on the Christmas holidays, so we caught a cab and surprised him."

The moments of silence seemed to pass like years as Kyoya waited for those lips to move and more of that liquid warmth to flow out once again. When she spoke, so concentrated and open, it was like he could never get enough words from her to sedate the tingle beneath his skin, the simple feel of how silky they were was enough to entice even the most prudish of souls.

"He always loved when we'd come and visit him, and he would let me go play in the back with all of the boxes and bubble wrap. Sometimes there would be other kids there, but that day there wasn't. A guy who came in every now and then was there that day."

Bringing her eyes to draw upon the last rays of the sunset, that elusive calm that always seemed to blanket her as the last seeds of light dwindled to nothing didn't quite reach her own limbs, nor her restless mind.

"Misaki Yoroshima. He found me playing in the back and he… he decided he wanted to play, too. Only, not make believe like I had been. When he, when I…"

The words would no longer come out, rusty from the last time and the only time she had told it, years ago under the bright artificial lights of the police station and under the stagnant stench of stale coffee and perspiration.

"Take your time," Kyoya soothed from across the room. His body was still under that lucid trance of wordspell, and he was afraid that if he moved, not only would it fade away, but that she wouldn't be able to finish her story. It took her a while to regain what little composure remained, Haruhi's dreamy smile now nothing but a grim and firmly set pink line.

"He was a sick man, and I should have known even at that age that people like him shouldn't be trusted. He all but ripped off my clothes and Misaki, he carved an M on my backside so that I'd "always remember my first." He told me he loved me ever since he saw my mummy walk in holding my hand for the first time a year ago, and I didn't know what to do, I was bleeding and crying and no one was coming."

The feeling in the air changed, like how the pressure in an airplane suddenly begins to build and the hairs on your neck stand at attention, palms nearly sliced open from clench firsts. Kyoya felt it now, chasing away the warm tingle and replacing it with distressing buzzes and bubbling anger; how a man could be so sick was incomprehensible.

But how Kyoya had missed the signs of trauma was unforgivable. No he was unsure if the shiver his touch brought forth from the slight girl was from pleasure, or from sick, morbid memories burned into the back of her mind. Was he now just another one of them, those men who took what they pleased from unsuspecting innocents like Haruhi?

It was enough to make him sick, both with himself and the twisted knots in his stomach looking upon that eerily calm face taking over Haruhi's familiar one.

How she looked so casual and nonchalant telling this years past story was not something he could ever forget.

"Didn't they hear you?" He questioned in frustration. Surely someone had to have heard how she thrashed around, trying to hide from the steel of the blade and the intrusion of her privacy. How could they not?

"My mum was the first one to notice something was wrong, and when she found me… it was like suddenly she wasn't my mum anymore, she was this angry, screaming woman fighting off Misaki with anything she could get ahold of. I don't remember how she detained him, or how everyone supposedly helped to tie him up. I passed out and woke up with twenty something stitches and my mum crying."

Quickly, she drew a breath, looking away from the dark window panes and directly into grey eyes, boring into them. It was like everything only intensified under her gaze, that buzzing beneath his skin grew more intense, and the anger began to boil, threatening to burn him in shame and frustration. This feeling, the connection between them, it was almost like another viable entity was moving beneath their skin, something so contrasting and unlike themselves which was only brought fourth in the presence of one another.

He refused to look away.

"She told me what happened after I passed out, and that he'd managed to escape but the police were looking for him everywhere. Mom kept telling me she was sorry, so many times because she felt it was her fault for bringing me there. Seeing her so upset made me cry because my mom was always so happy and strong and I wanted to be just like her, and I told her that it was almost Christmas and she should be happy since she loved it so much. When she smiled and told me that I'd be able to go home on Christmas day I asked if she could bring me my present I was making for her, and do you know what she told me?"

The question remained unanswered through their gaze, his only answer a slow blink.

"She said, "The only thing I need for Christmas is you home safe, because I love you more than any day of the year."

Fresh tears painted the whites of her eyes pink as she rubbed them away with her free hand. She heard her mothers voice saying it over and over again in her head,

"I love you more than any day of the year." "I love you more than any day of the year." "I love you more…"

How happy she had been, hearing her mother tell her that she meant more to her mother than any of their birthdays, and even more than Christmas.

"She hardly ever left me alone, and when she did, my dad was there with his puppets entertaining me and the other children staying there over the holidays. It was two days later on Christmas Eve when the police finally caught Misaki and detained him, but my mom hadn't come back to the hospital. He'd killed her when she was finally bringing me the b-bear I'd been making for her."

Shot from behind, the bullet had punctured her aortic valve and she had bled out on one of the side roads leading to the bus stop from the house. One of their neighbors came forth as a witness to the murder, but had been too late to prolong her death.

Fate was cruel to those who least deserved it. The girl sitting beside her comatose father knew that, and the boy now standing behind her had learned that lesson quite easily. His mother had been taken from him at a young age, but not from revenge.

Now, when Haruhi had chosen to spill forth her most painful memories, honesty came forth from the bubbling anger and cooled into an unrecognizable brew. It cooled the fire in his veins and dissolved the barrier building up in his throat as he placed a hand on Haruhi's slumped shoulders.

Lightly her fingertips brushed over his own, drawing some form of comfort out of the touch. He stood out of her line of vision, but somehow she saw his face clearly. His eyes were looking down at her, and his lips calm and evenly placed in his face as they usually were, not allowing the flood of rusted emotions to break through even though it was hidden in the night.

She knew that even though he was trying hard to appear calm, his cool grey eyes looked down on her warmly, betraying even his sternest of commands to appear casual and disconnected.

"Haruhi…" His breath held in the words he longed to speak, second guessing his impulse to comfort his new found friend.

"What happened was unfortunate, and horrible, but I sincerely doubt your mother would want you to carry her passing on your shoulders as a reason to scorn yourself."

Yes, perhaps sometimes they could read each others minds. At times, this was terrifying. Now,

It was perhaps one of the most reassuring thoughts she had right now.

There was still one person standing with her who understood.

Yes, she always had Hikaru and Kaoru there to tease her with warm smiles and laughter, but the level they stood on didn't breach the small section she kept closed off and exclusively V.I.P where there was room for two and two only.

Now, there was a third squeezing his way into the section she valued most, the innermost core of her heart. He didn't do this with fake laughter or with money, nor with gifts and charm. It was the little touch of familiarity he brought with him as he quickly passed through her layers and defenses and memories towards his central destination.

Now, however, wasn't the time to begin to sort out the reasons why, or how to respond, or how she even felt about all of it. Now was the time to make sure her father was safe and returned to her safely through this coma.

Now was the time to make sure everything turned out alright.

A knock spread into the room, jolting both Kyoya and Haruhi from their stupor.

"Umm," the nurse stuttered under the cold stare being shot from Kyoya. He didn't like being disturbed and expected even the newest nurses to understand that.

"Visiting hours are over, a-and resume at eight a.m. I-if it's alright with you, I mean."

Leaning down over her fathers forehead, she placed her trembling lips to his forehead and said one last silent prayer for the protection and safe return of her father to her, and whispered,

"I love you." To his deaf ears. She only hoped it reached inside.

Kyoya's breath hitched as he heard those words, but hid it from sight the moment she turned around and met his eyes, walking towards him and out of the door, unable to look back at her father lying lifelessly in the bed.

The walk through the bright hallways bothered her as she felt the glare against the glass doors terribly uncomfortable and undesirable. All she wanted now was to sleep.

Her own bed had been denied to her when she asked in the elevator. Whoever had attacked her father was still loose, and could know where she lived since they knew where her father was employed, and it was too dangerous to attempt walking into a trap right now.

Kyoya had even gone so far as to apologize for denying her permission, something so extremely out of character she had nearly laughed out loud. He was right, but for some reason, the risk just to be able to sleep in her fathers bed, and her own, seemed well worth any risk or dangers waiting with bated breath for her arrival.

Several doctors with foreign faces wished Kyoya and his 'company' a good night and pleasant evening. The sour bile that ran up her throat seemed to spread into her expression, as they quickly scurried away.

He was slightly impressed how intimidating her scowl could be.

The limo waited patiently for them, replacing Kyoya's personal car to provide them with the luxury of space and the peace of mind you always get when anyone aside from Kyoya got behind the wheel.

Tired feet clamored into the back, and the usual respect for personal space was foregone as they donned the same leather covered seat. As the car door was shut and the engine revved, Kyoya's composure slowly melted away as it now often did for the sake of Haruhi.

It wouldn't get him anywhere guarding everything which Haruhi looked for in a companion.

Friend, rather. Friend. Yes, not a companion, a friend.

"Haruhi," he called softly, looking straight ahead to the one way window separating the drivers cab from their own. He reasoned it would be at least a half an hour before reaching home.

"hmm?" she called through her thoughts, running her hand through chocolate locks in exhaustion.

It rang out from somewhere inside of him, the underlying urge to do something – anything – to stop that blank stare from taking a permanent hold on her delicate profile. Blankly he recalled how in those cheesy romance movies Tamaki replayed over and over the men had consoled crying leading ladies with actions, not words.

"come here." It was not a command, nor a demand as he moved his hand from his lap and pulled her arm gently towards himself. She slid over easily enough, not putting up any resistance. As her head met his shoulder and the warmth made its way through her cool body, she sighed. His arm wrapped around the shoulders he could now see giving in, allowing everything to collapse in a heap at her feet.

No single person could support the world on their shoulders alone. There wasn't enough aspirin, steroids, drive, or coffee to even attempt to do that, but she had done exceedingly well these past years she'd been forced to grow up and assume responsibilities Kyoya was quite sure he'd never have to understand or fret about.

It hadn't taken her long to fall into a rhythm against the beat of his heart.

Beat beat, breathe in.

Beat beat, breathe out.

Soon she could no longer keep her misty eyes open, and as they slowly fell closed, she dwindled off into a well needed rest.

Kyoya's eyes remained open and alert as they wandered from gazing out of the window absently to looking down at the mussed hair and tear stained face belonging to a nearly broken and defeated Haruhi. His deft hands drew small circles across her back, running across the sharp shoulder blades protruding from the small purple sweater. Haruhi hadn't even shivered as she stepped out into the chill of the night air, having left her coat hung on her arm. He wasn't sure if she'd even felt his arm brush up against her side. She hadn't seemed to notice hardly anything aside from the doctors passing by.

Nor did she seem to notice the crunch of gravel beneath the tires and the small jolt as they stopped in front of the Ootori Manor. To wake her now seemed quite cruel. Let her dream away the severity of her reality, if only for a little while longer.

"Would you like assistance, Kyoya-san?"

Tachibana asked from the open door politely. Kyoya attempted to loosen his grip, only to have a small hand reach out for the warmth of his jacket and frab a hold of the warmth invading her body. It was apparent she wasn't easy to dismiss, even in her sleep.

Gripping beneath her knees and under her arms, letting her head lull on his shoulder, he carried her from the car and into the nearly empty house, ignoring her own bedroom door and placing her in his own bed beneath the covers. It was hard not to just stand there and watch her, breathing slowly and lightly as if one of her worst nightmares hadn't sprung forth into the real world once again.

His feet felt significantly heavier without the girl in his arms giving him a reason to step down his bedroom stairs to his lap top seated on the white couch.

Something told him that sleep wouldn't encumber him as easily as it had Haruhi.

**'Share with me the blankets that you're wrapped in, because it's cold outside… it's cold outside.'**

Under the warmth of familiar down blankets, Haruhi drew in a breath laced with that warm, velvety scent and turned to where the soft music played. Through half lidded eyes, she saw how the screen glowed from beneath where she lay, shining spectacles easing her slight panic.

Haruhi shivered as the white blankets slid off of her rolled up sleeves and did her best to clamor from the bed without destroying the sheets as she had the last time she'd woken up in this room. A loud yawn escaped her as she stretched upward and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, though it hadn't seemed to disturb her newly found roommate.

**'share with me the secrets that you're wrapped in, because it's cold inside, it's cold inside.'**

The words were sung in foreign tongue, one that she knew well enough to feel slightly uneasy at what they spoke. Irony seemed to slap her in the face as she remembered everything that had happened in one powerful wave, and suddenly all she wanted was to crawl right back into that welcoming warmth and drift off to sleep once again.

"Hey," she greeted, opting to just grit her teeth and bear it. She hadn't been so aware of her masochism.

The hand on his shoulder nearly made him jump, but his cool composure would not allow for him to react so ignorantly to the familiar voice.

"You're awake," he stated blankly, not even sparing her a glance. Kyoya was dressed casually, having donned a pair of black athletic shorts and a tan shirt, though from his drooping eyes and the neatly made spot beside her chaotic disarray of pillows and sheets told her Kyoya hadn't opted for sleep as she had.

Glancing at the documents on his computer screen, she couldn't help but feel the slight guilt shrivel up the afterglow of a good rest. The normally soft and calm locks atop Kyoya's head were aggravated and mussed from the tired hands ran through them, and Haruhi found her hands slowly making their way from the armrest to his back resting there on their own accord.

When they brushed over the cloth covering those strong, tense shoulders, she felt a ghost of a shiver slide up through her fingers and pressed down to work out the knots in his muscles. It did not go unappreciated, though Kyoya hadn't meant to visibly sink down a little deeper into his chair and allow his eyes to close. It had been forever since he'd had a shiatsu to ease his nearly constant muscle tension.

As her thin fingers brushed away the ache and feathered across his neck, the thin hum displayed his pleasure, and she felt it reverberate in the back of her mind. How relaxed he seemed was enough to ease the growing ache in her head as she realized that even though he was exausted, he seemed to be completely at ease underneath her touch.

**'and I know you may be scared and I know you're unprepared, but I don't care. Tell me tell me what makes you think that you are invincible, I can see it in your eyes that you're so sure.'**

It was true, she was scared. She had never even given these new staples over her life a thought before they hit her full on. Having to see her father in a hospital bed hadn't seemed possible before she was nearly sprinting through those hospital doors not even knowing which of the rooms he resided in.

TO live inside of herself was second nature to Haruhi. Waking up to the same daily routine became her comfort, the way she found it easiest to cope with the day to day struggles she brought upon herself. To those outside, looking through, she was so tough and unswayable, nearly invincible and impenetrable. Gazing through the dusty windows, she knew otherwise. How hard she tried every day to keep herself so distanced only served to remind her how truly weak she was, how weak she truly had been ever since the last time she had allowed herself to cry.

She was weak, and now it was obvious to anyone who happened by with their curious stares and clicks of their tongues at her misfortune.

**'Please don't tell me that I'm the only one that's vulnerable! Impossible…'**

Haruhi's fingers tensed, and a hand came up to warm them from the sudden chill taking hold over her. She was the only one that was so weak and vulnerable… everyone around her was doing their best to keep up face and remain stable and impermeable.

"I feel so lousy," she admitted with a sigh, not able to really vocalize a better description of those feelings inside.

"You won't accomplish anything by just feeling bad."

To Kyoya, that was the most he could say without completely burning his tongue with sweet little 'it'll be okay's' and 'don't be sad, get glad's!'

Although he was slowly beginning to sink away from his usual blank façade and allowing himself to develop weaknesses for the brunette behind him, downright lying to her face just to get her to cheer up was simply out of the question.

"It's just that… it seems like I'm the only one here who's weak."

5 a.m. struck on the dot from the grandfather clock chiming in another room, and those staccato chimes nearly deafened the murmured response from Kyoya's lips as her hands once again took residence on his aching shoulders.

"I don't believe you are."

It was all the reassurance she needed for now, and she was glad he couldn't see how warmly his attempted indifference made her smile for the first time in what felt like ages, her cheek muscles slightly aching from the lack of use.

He might be a stubborn git who was too wrapped up in business, but sometimes when his façade slipped and Kyoya let himself speak openly, he seemed more like a best friend than a forced ally.

That tired ache began to fade from her touch. Months of pent up stress simply vanished, leaving his muscles more relaxed and comfortable than any masoose he had ever visited. Not even those people who stuck him with needles did such a marvelous- MEDIOCRE- job as Haruhi did.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that even though Kyoya knew her mind was filled to the brim with worries, she was still putting others before herself and placing their care before her own. He wouldn't have dared asked her to touch him for the sake of his own pleasure, nor would he expect her to indulge him even if he had.

Somehow, his aches made themselves known to her without spoken words, and she had reacted in kind to his body's pleas for help. It was like she could read every inch of him as though there was ink painted upon his skin only visible to her sweet caramel eyes.

If such an ink was ever obtainable, perhaps he could use it to spell out exactly what thoughts had run through his mind ever since she had taken residence in the Ootori home; maybe instead of trying to send out signals, those characters would speak what he could never admit out loud.

'Even then, any efforts would most likely serve to be futile,' Kyoya registered.

Haruhi was, and would always remain exceedingly daft to any man who had the bright idea to set their fancy on her pretty little head.

Unlike every other failed attempt those men had made, Kyoya had some success in getting his message across. The fading bruises on her neck stuck out from beneath her drooping collar as he tilted his head back to look at her for the first time since she clamored down those stairs.

Glancing up, the curve of her lips was parted in concentration and her little pink tongue sucked in her bottom lip to moisten it, a habit she'd developed from the twins when they were planning one of their games. The silky moonlight played across the shine of her mussed chocolate locks that dipped into the caramel orbs looking away from his own steel grey ones.

All at once, her hands stilled and moved forward, running along the unmarred skin of his throat and the soft jut of his adam's apple that bobbed in shock; her hands were frigid against his warm skin. While one hand continued working gently at the skin underneath his jaw, another slid off in the other direction and ran a finger along the curve of his regal jaw bone, up to the dip behind his ear lobe.

She couldn't have known Kyoya Ootori had only three weak spots along the length of his entire body; the dips and curves of his hips, his back, and his ears.

So far, she'd managed to manipulate two of his three sensitive areas, both earlier that morning when she'd scarred his back and sent him into a blind frenzy, and when she'd latched her swollen lips upon the tender flesh of his ear.

Now, she had melted his defenses from the sweet touches along his shoulders and back, and was making her way to what would be his bending point – his ears.

Those fingertips rolled one of his lobes between them, sending a shiver down his spine he couldn't force still. Haruhi's thumb hooked behind his ear and massaged the untouched crevice behind it, parting Kyoyas lips in a deep intake of breath as he willed himself to keep still and calm. The desire pooling up inside of his chest was only kept at bay by the guilt he felt at being able to indulge in pleasant touches while the one who needed the reassurance most stood there, helping him for a reason unbeknownst to him.

"Haruhi…" her name escaped as a sigh past his parted lips, misting it's way up to attain her attention. She 'hmmed' her response, waiting for him to continue without pausing in her actions.

"sometimes you can be too dense for your own benefit."

Before Haruhi could hold her tongue, her reply came tumbling out of her mouth through her stubborn teeth.

"If you think I'm dense, maybe you're not being clear enough to help me understand the areas I'm not quite grasping according to your assessments."

She'd stumbled in her mind for a moment after she realized what she said, expecting Kyoya to snap out of his calm stupor and once again put his sharp eyes back in place. Dark lashes, longer than her own, turned up to reveal calm eyes staring up at her, a hint of restraint washing through them.

"I'm a strict teacher, remember Haru-chan?"

Chucking, Haruhi resumed her calm touches after his eyelids fluttered closed again as she heaved a silent sigh of relief.

**'And it's true I can't go on without you, you're smile makes me see clearer, if you could only see in a mirror what I see.'**

If only she could see what everyone else saw; how beautiful a person she was on the inside, and how her skin glowed when she was happy and her eyes drew you into their depths, unafraid to look you straight in the eye. Her gaze make it seem as if you were the only one who existed in her world.

It was strange how Kyoya couldn't see how much of a wonderful person he had become over the years. He'd turned from cold and compliant to an understanding friend who knew when to speak and when to simply draw a person into his unique touch of comfort and make them feel protected and safe. Haruhi wasn't sure how exactly to make him see that, to show him that even though he put up an indifferent mask, being able to peek beneath to the beauty beneath had really helped her pull through all of her trials and tests, especially now.

She watched through the slits in the curtains as the sun rose, sending those warm rays glittering into the room and upon the wrinkled bedsheets. Another day had come, and she had gotten through the worst of it. More days would come to pass, she reassured herself, and as she had gotten through this one, it would be possible to continue her way onward, whatever may happen.

"Were you working all night?"

Haruhi asked softly, unsure if Kyoya had fallen asleep. His breathing was even and deep and his lips were still and moist.

"No more than usual," Kyoya replied suddenly, and Haruhi had to strain her ears to decipher his words from inaudible mumbles.

"And people wonder why you are so unbearable in the morning,"

She teased, catching the flicker of the corner of his lips turning upwards before it was stilled.

"I wasn't aware you found me unbearable."

The slight intake of breath Kyoya took when Haruhi pressed down on the junction between his collarbone and neck brought a chuckle from the back of her throat, circling up from the skin behind his ear and moving her fingers to the back of his neck and pinching lightly to soothe away the remaining dull aches. His body visibly relaxed as his ear was left to bask in the afterglow of the fond attention it just received.

"Only slightly less than everyone else, I assure you."

Kyoya didn't have to look at her face to tell she was enjoying how relaxed his retorts were, and how she did not have to question her responses in the fear of triggering a nerve in the worn out boy. It was a pleasant feeling that his anger wasn't getting worked up. His mind was simply too tired to do so, and didn't register Haruhi as any potential threat.

As the minutes ticked by her hands still wound their way through his muscles and drove him closer and closer to the brink of sleep.

"I'm sorry," she began again, hoping this time he was asleep.

"And what, may I assume,"

Kyoya paused to stifle a yawn behind his hand.

"are you apologizing for?"

"Because you spent the night studying up on my past and worrying about me when I'm fine-"

His hand flew up towards the fingertips still touching his neck and gripped them tightly with a squeeze to help him get his point across.

"I couldn't sleep regardless. Had it been something else I still wouldn't have retired to bed. And as intelligent as you may be, you of all people should know how ignorant it is to tell someone not to worry about your general welfare, because the moment you say that, they will regardless."

As his words sunk in, Kyoya finally moved his tired, sleepy limbs and made his way up the steps, pausing half way to tug off his shirt and toss it back over the railing in one of the first counterproductive actions she had ever seen Kyoya Ootori commit; Haruhi had never seen him leave anything lying around since she had known him.

_'Kyoya must be really worn out,'_ Haruhi mused as she watched him nearly stumble and grab a hold of the railing to support himself.

"Please try to understand that myself and the others around you have some form of common sense."

With that said, Kyoya made his way up the remaining steps and pulled back the covers on the still made side of the bed, tucking a pillow beneath his raven haired head and watching as Haruhi made her way up the stairs as well, glancing back at the still running laptop.

"All of my documents I require are already saved," he explained to her as he followed her wandering eyes.

Haruhi responded with a nod, swallowing back the small lump that was beginning to form from seeing that years old picture taken at the Jail twelve or thirteen years ago. Watching the sunlight play on the lenses of his glasses as he placed them on the nightstand, Haruhi gazed into the unprotected, hazy gray eyes looking right at her.

She swore her heart skipped a beat and froze in her chest, but from what, she didn't know.

He wasn't sure if she'd felt it as well, the small tinge and zap of an electrical current that flowed through him and into his mind the moment his gaze met hers. Those caramel orbs looked so open and innocent, honest with themselves that she was unsure of what to do next.

It was that sweet innocence that drew him into her so deeply he was almost positive that he'd become addicted to her presence, her touch, and her honesty.

He wanted to hear her voice every day, to wake up every morning with her sleepy eyes and silken voice wishing him a good morning. For now, he would indulge in his wishes as they were presented to him.

It felt natural as her weight shifted lightly on the bed and the blankets rustled beside him. Her slight curve underneath the white sheets enticed him, but Kyoya forced himself to bite back his urge and settled for reaching his arm out, brushing against her arm and resting his hand between her body and his own.

Against the sheets, her fingers edged their way towards the waiting hand as Kyoya's eyes drifted closed, lingering open just long enough to see her fingers graze his own tentatively and felt the soft skin dip into the sensitive gaps between his fingers to link their hands together, her laced digits squeezing his lightly before he finally drifted off to sleep under her watchful gaze.

Let her rest for one last day before it would be all he could do to keep her alive and well.

Now that Misaki was out of jail and free, they would have a whole new threat on their hands, and he prayed it wouldn't become any worse than it already had.

Kyoya wasn't sure how much more Haruhi could withstand and bend backwards before she finally broke.

She kissed the hand wrapped in her own, and silently prayed that these hands would be able to hold her own for countless nights to come.

Ooookay. So, little Haruhi has a past and a history to her now, doesn't she?

Her mum died after saving her and protecting her from a rapist, Haruhi blames herself, hense why she's always so wrapped up in her own little world.

This, my dears, is where a bit of psychology comes into play.

=]

If you can't figure it out, then feel free to stay tuned, because more will be explained, as well as EXACTALLY what happened to her father,

and as a special treat, it will be in his own special section, so hah! there!

So, what do I have in store for Kyoya and Haruhi as they continue developing?

X]

REVIEW and maybe you'll find out.

Loves,

Caitlin.


	9. Modus vivendi

**Okay, so, I don't really have many excuses this time. Just deal with my slowness because i'm human and because I have a bunch of AP classes and I love you all to death, okay? I got my purse stolen the other day, so that's one day that I didn't really even write. It got returned to me yesterday, I believe, because some dumbass put it outside of my PAWS, which is also known as homeroom, and left it there. They'd changed the message on my phone but set it back before they gave it back, but we'd already cut my phone off. Well, it's working again, in fact, i'm texting off and on now XDD. Okay, enough rambling. Enjoy.**

**Modus vivendi** - _Way of living  
_

It wasn't until she opened her sleepy caramel eyes that Haruhi thought she must still be dreaming. Sinking back into the warm embrace of the blankets, she inhaled for what seemed like the million times, savoring the warm scent she had grown so used to. In her dream, her father had taken her to the park and she had still been a young girl.

The heart inside of her chest, still tearing at the seams she had been struggling to recreate began to beat sorely again at the thought of her father still in the hospital. The memory should have brought her comfort and peace, but it only succeeded in reminding her of the morbid present and painful truths.

Slowly she stumbled into her own room and prepared a warm bath, making use of the bath oils that resided on the side of the tub ever since she had taken residence at the Ootori Mansion. It smelled as warm and luxurious as Kyoya's own scent, only with a more feminine fragrance and allure to it as it foamed into delicate bubbles on top of the water.

Gliding in, Haruhi rested her head of the side of the tub and breathed in deeply, enjoying the steam and the pulsing jets massaging the stress out of her lower back.

She tried not to let her thoughts linger onto her dad's current comatose state, instead thinking back to last night and how she had become so confident in her affections toward the raven haired Ootori and how he had become so languid around her as well. Vaguely her eyes drifted over to another painting on the wall, similar to the one hanging in Kyoya's own bathroom and she gazed at its contents with slow, deliberate breaths in order to think calmly and rationally about it.

The painting was merely of an open field dying out as the painting progressed toward the setting horizon. The name scribbled out in the corner, 'Kyoya Ootori', was what struck her as odd.

She was dumbfounded that she had not realized before.

Kyoya, amidst all of his numerical data and seemingly endless files and spreadsheets, was in fact an extremely talented, if not brilliant artist.

He had displayed his works of art in the sanctity of his own home, among the confines of those walls built to keep anyone he wished out, both made out of plaster and of emotional barriers. Only those eyes whom he wished to view his works were allowed to gaze upon what essentially was the inner workings of a curious young man who had established himself at too young an age and therefore needed an outlet to express the inner workings of his mind.

To him, these feelings were weaknesses that were to be discarded with the help of paints and oils and careful brush strokes used to help him clear his mind and focus on what was truly important; succeeding in his dream to take over the family business and, in the process, obtaining his fathers utmost respect and approval and love.

To Haruhi, however, his artwork was a beautiful exclamation to his humanity and the cries from a boy who had suppressed himself and his true nature behind books, a cold and calculating façade, and a calm demeanor that was built to hide his true self from the analytical eyes of those who fed on weaknesses.

Kyoya did have a heart, and he had made sure that it was tucked away and laced into his paintings and artwork so that he did not have to deal with and worry about the roaming thoughts it would cause if he let it sit and stir and brew for too long without giving it time to release it's pent up feelings.

She bathed herself until she was as she was going to get, and watched as the remainder of the water circled down the drain, toweling her hair dry and glancing up at the painting one last time before donning her clothes for the day and brushing her teeth, exiting the bathroom to find a waiting Kyoya lounging on the side of her bed.

"Judging by the amount of time you spent in there I am assuming that you are feeling a little bit better?"

How she had clung to him in the morning when he had forced himself out of the bed to prepare for the day ahead had worried him slightly. Her fingertips had dug into his arms and she had whimpered lightly, her eyes squinting slightly in unconscious concentration. It had been tempting to simply pry her fingers off of his arm and go on with his day, but even Kyoya realized that it was his usual morning moodiness settling in and attempting to make him act selfishly and irrationally.

Instead, he pushed aside the easier methods and settled down at the bedside, trailing his pale fingers gently over her own and watched as they slowly unclenched and loosened, bringing forth a gentle humming sound as Haruhi instead chose to wrap her arms around the pillow he had left behind and snuggling up to it in his place.

Aside from his lack of sleep and the oncoming headache, Kyoya smiled one of his warm, genuine smiles that Haruhi would have been delighted to see.

She too, had smiled, as if responding to the small waves of content that Kyoya emitted as he dressed for the day and took care of business.

"I'm feeling just fine, thanks," she lied through her teeth, using her fingers to run over the lace of her collar.

"Alright then, if you insist. I'll be working in my study, if you need me just come in."

She was thankful that their old daily routine was finally springing back into play. As she watched him walk through their side door, she tended to the days of homework she had left to pile up on her desk, setting aside the hastily recorded math assignments for last. Although her hand ached from hours of writing and she could feel the oncoming pangs of hunger, she continued working. Now it wasn't just to make sure she stayed ahead of her studies, it was to make sure that she stayed ahead of the thoughts of her father.

But, she shook her head and continued through the pain, finishing up with an English paper and report before she finally brought herself to dig her Math book out of her bag. Her hand only brushed unneeded notebooks and finished assignments.

Haruhi looked everywhere for her math book, even going so far as to poke around in Kyoya's room only to find that it was still missing.

_'Oh, how could I be so stupid?'_

Haruhi chided herself as she remembered where she had left it the other morning. In a spout of anger, she had tried and failed to do her math homework in a pitiful attempt to spite Kyoya for being so selfish and inconsiderate towards herself, her situation, and her feelings.

Instead, she had been caught griping about the entire ordeal and had been cornered and pinned in the alcove underneath the waterfall where their relationship had advanced to a new, unseen level with the same exact man she had just been complaining about mere seconds ago.

The halls ran through the house like veins, almost all of them meeting in the center, the heart, of the house. The hallway that lead to the pool was as familiar to her as the back of her own hand and the trails and paths of her own veins. Haruhi took the steps etched into the stone and grabbed her textbook, catching herself glancing down at the clear blue surface of the pool below.

It was as smooth and still as glass, letting the colorful flower painted in the tiles of the pool stare up at her. The petals seemed to smile at her and she smiled at herself and to them in return, vaguely wondering if Kyoya had anything to do with the beautiful design.

It had neared nine in the evening, and Haruhi's math homework was pitifully done, the gaps of unfinished math problems more numerous than the scantily completed ones. It was a short trek to his office that resided only three or so doors down the hall, and Haruhi knocked out of courtesy.

A muffled "come in" led her to open the door and arch her eyebrow at what she saw.

Instead of coming face to face with a rather bored and decidedly focused Kyoya, she was nearly nose to polished wood with what appeared to be an easel, a calm disarray of raven hair poking out from the very top edge of the canvas.

"I knew it," she whispered under her breath. Those paintings really had belonged to him, after all.

"You knew what?"

"That you were human."

The paint edged onto the manila surface of the canvas was only just beginning to pour into something more than just the standard idea of beauty. The recreation of the stained glass ceiling at the library where she worked had made its way through Kyoya's fingertips and paints and thin air and onto that canvas.

"We're all human in the end, aren't we?" Kyoya stated evasively, setting down his brush and meeting her eyes easily.

She wasn't smiling, though her eyes held a small twinkle as her cheeks flushed in pink petals, reaching up to her nose and causing Kyoya to raise an eyebrow in response.

He hadn't exactly considered what he had just said a come on, so her responsive blush seemed highly out of order and character.

"Yes, but, you paint so well and I hadn't really thought that-"

"That someone such as me could possess talent requiring emotion and creativity?"

Kyoya had expected those words from everyone and anyone who had discovered his hidden talent, and had received them in kind.

"No, I was going to say that I hadn't thought that you saw the relationship between industry and everything it created and destroyed. It doesn't seem like you."

That, he had not expected.

He could not respond to her correction with any words in mind, because she was right. It didn't seem like him. Those were all of the things he put in paint and onto canvas and removed it from his mind so that he could forget about it. He simply listened as she went on about his art and work, babbling on and on in an effort and attempt to convince Kyoya that he had been wrong in and with his assumptions of her opinion.

"You're rambling, Haruhi. It's endearing, I assure you, however I get the feeling that there is something you'd like to say?"

With her cheeks still flushed, she moved her hand to brush a few strands of hair away from her eyes and looked down to the hard wood floor beneath her feet.

"I wanted to know how long you've been painting."

Being an innocent enough question, Kyoya relaxed his shoulders and removed the still wet canvas, placing it on the coffee table and picking up a new one to take its place.

"Since my mother taught me when I was a child. It was her… calling, so to speak. She loved painting and art more than anything."

Haruhi didn't miss the light sigh he gave as he cleaned his brush and dipped it in one of the colors on the easel, a light, airy blue.

"Oh. So it helps you to feel close to her, then? Your mother, I mean?"

Her tongue was doing flips in her mouth, causing her to fumble over her words for reasons she wasn't quite sure of. It was only Kyoya, after all.

She'd been living with him for quite some time now, he'd become her closest companion and her support, so why now, of all times, was she finding it so hard to say what she wanted to say?

His brush worked its way along the smooth paper, working the outer edges with smooth strokes as she followed the careful movements with her eyes.

"Not particularly, no. It serves as an emotional outlet whenever I find it necessary."

"Oh, I see. So then, is there something bothering you right now?"

And why the heck did she keep saying 'oh'? What was she, a broken record? Mentally she slapped her self a thousand times over for being so nervous for absolutely no reason. She was just really out of it today, for some reason.

"It should be fairly obvious, considering you are the epicenter of bad luck these days."

His hand that wasn't dedicated to gripping the brush made its way to the bridge of his nose, pinching it lightly as if to hold back the onslaught of a headache.

Again, he hadn't meant to be so rude and brash, but for some reason with Haruhi he never felt the need to bite his tongue and hold back what he wanted to say. Looking past his canvas and to his side, she didn't seem to take his words personally.

She sat there in unabashed dismissal, shrugging her shoulders as she leaned against the arm of the couch. From where he sat on the stool, he could see her turn her head and look out of the darkened window towards the blinking lights of the city in the distance.

"Don't move," he chided her lightly, watching as she turned to look at him curiously.

"What, are you afraid I've got so much bad luck that if I move I'll break gravity, too?"

"No, though by the way things are going I wouldn't put it past you. I need you to sit still none the less."

More flicks of his wrist and the exchange of colors caught Haruhi's eye for a moment until she snapped out of her trance and inquired as to just why she had to sit still all of a sudden.

"Well, unless you have a stationary subject to paint they might end up looking a little disproportionate."

Sarcasm had never felt as sweet on his tongue as it did when he forced himself to bite back the growing smile on his face, ducking back behind the canvas so she couldn't see.

How she had blinked so suddenly and her eyes flew open was priceless, even more so when she began stuttering out,

"W-what? You aren't, umm, painting me, a-are you?"

"Why yes, Haruhi, I'm doing just that. You wouldn't happen to have any objections, would you? It IS to help me release my stress, after all."

'And to watch you squirm,' he finished in his mind with a smirk, knowing that the blood probably pooled out of her face and she had to shake her head a few times to clear her thoughts before speaking.

"Um, no, not at all."

It had continued in silence, with Kyoya calmly pressing his brush to the flesh he was creating; ripening the cheek with the subtle tint of pink proved effortless as he didn't even have to glance over the canvas at her still frame to know exactly how her blush curved into her pale cheek or how deep and warm those honey colored eyes were.

He knew almost every detail about her by now.

There was one thing, however, that he wanted to capture but couldn't quite manage to recall in his mind.

Placing his brush back down, Kyoya stepped down and off of the stool and paced towards Haruhi who was beginning to fall asleep on the couch.

"Haruhi," he called, bringing her out of her slumber. She lulled her head towards him, allowing him to take her chin between his fingers and tilt it this way and that before arching her eyebrow at him.

"You're going to have to make your lips a little pinker for the portrait."

"And how do you propose I do that?"

She asked with a yawn, rubbing her watering eyes and blinking up towards him as his lips closed over her own, his free hand resting on the back of the couch behind her.

Kyoya tilted her chin upwards, giving him better access to those still shy and fumbling lips beneath his, smirking against the kiss and running his expert tongue along the quivering bottom lip beneath his own, enjoying how she sucked in air through her teeth to stifle the slight moan.

Gently his fingers brushed over the crimson hue of her soft cheeks, cupping her cheek in his hand to bring her closer and draw her lips into the groove of his own, tilting her head back even farther as he joined her on the edge of the couch, allowing his free hand to wrap around the slender waist presented to him and trapping her between his own body and the back of the couch.

With slow, deliberate kisses, her lips began to ripen and their natural rouge stood out deeply under the attention of the slick tongue and moist, powerful lips that took advantage of Haruhi's daze.

Kyoya drew back with a self satisfied smirk and returned to his easel and the unfinished canvas, resuming his work as Haruhi caught her breath on the couch with her hand held over her racing heart.

"Was that really necessary,"

Haruhi asked through her short breaths.

"I believe so." It wasn't.

Silence settled over them once again, and easily an hour slipped by with Haruhi dozing on the couch and Kyoya breathing life into the painting with his detailed strokes.

"It wasn't even that bad, that day,"

Haruhi began suddenly, startling Kyoya and making him fumble with his paint brush. He caught it between his fingers and waited silently for her to go on.

"He didn't even r-rape me. He wouldn't have gotten more than three or five years at the most. It's like he found it necessary to kill my mom for such a stupid reason. I keep telling myself that maybe if I hadn't been there, she'd still be alive. Like it's all my fault."

Haruhi hadn't kept her distance from people just because she wanted to keep her nose in the books so that she could get into a good college and become successful. It had been painful after loosing her mother, having to deal with all of her guilt alone because she didn't want to worry her poor father with her own troubles; he had more than enough of his own.

She'd taken on as many of the chores as she could at such a young age, and now she managed the entire apartment by herself while her father was working. People served as another possible burden to her already breaking and crumbling shoulders. To put it quite plainly, she was afraid that if she ever let herself become close to someone she cared about again, they would end up just like her mother; six feet under with a slowly eroding tombstone and store bought flowers placed on her grave every other Tuesday.

But, as she was realizing, not everyone had to have the same fate as her mother. There are people who are strong, people who are willing to make that sacrifice just to be close to her, like her mother was.

As the days had passed on, Haruhi had begun to wonder if perhaps Kyoya was one of those people. Surely, he had every interest placed in her business and the new found inheritance she would be receiving on her eighteenth birthday. How her lips had tingled after every kiss they shared, and how her body would heat up served as the answer to the question she continued asking herself repeatedly; why do I want him to be that person so badly?

"You're right, perhaps if you hadn't been there, it wouldn't have happened. That doesn't change the fact that she would have been willing to help you at any other given time. Punishing yourself for someone else's choice is rather foolish. It would be the same as blaming myself for my own mothers' death."

Kyoya's mother was a taboo subject for him. In a way, he really was responsible for her death, at least medically speaking. The third fetus to begin growing in Yue Ootori's body had begun to drain her life away, absorbing her nutrients and her energy as it began to develop. After it was born and named Kyoya, the third Ootori heir, Yue had been bed ridden for the remainder of the three years of her life. The day his mother died had been the most painful blow to his heart, and he realized from there on out that if he wanted to remain intact and continue going on, it was necessary to dispose of those feelings.

Kyoya had tried his best, taking up painting instead of the instruments his brothers were forced to practice. Yoshio had given one of his rare compliments when Kyoya had painted a picture that resembled his mother, in heaven, and had smiled and tousled his messy black locks that were so much like hers. It was then that Kyoya's father had begun to distance himself from his youngest son, realizing that Kyoya resembled his mother far too much. It wasn't those grey eyes or the soft texture of those black locks, for he had those qualities as well. It was that rare, soft smile and that talent for painting that drew Yoshio away from his son. Kyoya had been to prideful to cry out for help.

Haruhi blinked sadly, realizing that she had no idea what had happened to his mother, and innocently, she broke one of the last remaining barriers leading into Kyoya's heart.

"What happened to her, Kyoya? Would you tell me?"

And so he did. He didn't cry as he had the last time he had told her story, nearly ten years ago. He didn't become angry at his fathers neglect, and he didn't regret opening up to her as she sat clear eyed and focused, her hands folded calmly in her lap and head cocked to the side slightly.

As he finished, he expected her to say something along the lines of 'I'm so sorry' and 'that's horrible!' but he received no such remarks. She walked the few paces to his stool and took his head in between her hands, enclosing his locks between her fingers and cradling his head to her chest. She spoke no words, gave him no pity, and told him no lies.

Instead, she smiled sadly for him and lightly placed a kiss on his temple.

"It's alright."

And to her, it was. Kyoya breathed in deeply, letting out all of his pent up frustrations through his tingling teeth and embracing her in his own arms, feeling her more than seeing her and noticing how familiar her slight curves had become in between the grooves of his muscles and his embrace.

It was alright. For now, they would be able to seek their solace in one another, healing wounds both fresh and scarred with understanding and an incomprehendable bond.

"It's done," Kyoya murmured absently, looking up to watch as her head turned toward the painting and took in the reflection staring back at her. Haruhi stood there, the reflection of what Kyoya saw when he looked at her, a modern day cherubim amidst the fuddle and tangles of the weeds that represented society. The radiance she exuded so casually and gracefully in the picture seemed out of place to her, but Kyoya had his own eyes, even if she did feel that they needed to be checked once more.

"I'm not that pretty," she joked, trying to hide her light smile by ducking her head away.

"I'm sure you've read enough to know the whole beauty in the eyes of the beholder story."

He'd expected her to be at least swayed by the thought that Kyoya thought she was beautiful and to see her swoon at how brilliant the still drying paint had come together to create the expression of his affection for her. This time, however, he hadn't been attempting to expel them from his own heart; he had been trying to instill a seed of realization into Haruhi's. She could read his paintings well enough, he only hoped that she wasn't blind to his advances through art like she was with everything else.

"Can I paint one, too?"

Kyoya looked at the clock; one in the morning.

"If you're up to it."

Haruhi didn't take long before she declared she was done, and Kyoya came to look at her thirty minute masterpiece.

"It's a …"

"It's me saying thank you," Haruhi finished, her eye twitching lightly from his lack of response. Haruhi was no artist; stick figures drawn by children could emote more than her own could.

She had painted two little chibi figures, one with glasses and a splash of black hair, and the other with brown circles for eyes and spiky brown slashes for hair. In the corner was a smiley face painted in different colors, and the words 'thank you' in red paint.

Kyoya had never laughed so hard in his life, he was sure. His lungs began to burn and the thump to his bicep and chest as Haruhi smacked him playfully were barely noticeable as his sides hurt from the lack of laughter in his diet. He landed in an ungraceful heap on the floor, one hand propping him up and a knee bent, his other hand pushing his bangs out of his eyes so that he could see her more clearly through his welling eyes.

He'd never been more beautiful to her than he was now, his eyes glowing like liquid iron and steel and his smile nearly making her wish that she had his innate ability to capture beauty on canvas like Kyoya could so that she would forever be able to look back on this moment and show others that she wasn't crazy; Kyoya did have a heart, and a gorgeous smile.

"And what would you be thanking me for then, Haruhi?"

"Taking the effort to see me through all of this to the end."

It was well enough that she had to smile at him with that warm look in her eyes and the delicate curve of her lips that could make hearts melt from a mere glance. When his heart began to trickle in his chest, he turned away and nodded briefly, moving towards his glasses and adjusting them on his nose.

"Hey," she called softly in his direction, standing to get off of the stool she sat perched on. Her foot collided with his, and she went tumbling down onto one startled Kyoya, who wrapped his arms around her torso instinctively.

They sat there for what was only seconds, their noses only a breath away before Haruhi laid her head down onto his shoulder and allowed a sigh to tickle the hairs of his neck.

"Really, thank you. I know to you that might not mean a lot, but it's the best that I have."

From anyone else, Kyoya would have deemed that an insult to his person, as truthful as it was. To people such as himself, thank you's were sent with gift baskets and spa treatments, not ordinary verbal exchanges. It felt like gold had lined his heart when she spoke those words.

"The best you have is honesty, and your honesty is appreciated here."

It was as close to a 'you're welcome' as he would ever get.

She accepted it with a hairline smile against his bare neck, and he felt the smile spread throughout his tired body and mingle with the lingering presence inside of him that had slowly been taking over his body. What that was, he did not know.

"Then can I be honest with you right now and tell you that I'm starving?"

And all of that brooding was replaced with the ease of laughter once again as they picked themselves up off of the floor and made their way towards the kitchen, Kyoya playing escort through the unfamiliar hallways. The maids were long since tucked away in bed, and if he didn't want her scouring the house all hours of the night, he would just have to do it himself.

Not that he minded, but he wouldn't openly admit that to anyone. He himself could go for a light midnight snack, anyways.

They settled for something easy; Haruhi prepared a small selection of fruits and salad with American style sandwiches while Kyoya made his way toward the wine.

If Haruhi didn't know any better, she would assume Kyoya was on the path of becoming an unconscious alcoholic. Seeing her eye him as he found the bottle he desired, he smirked a little.

"It's good for the heart and the blood circulation. If you remember correctly, I have low blood pressure. Would you prefer having to wake up and deal with my moods in the morning?"

Kyoya was correct, she couldn't deny him that.

"Just watch how much you drink this time, alright? I'd prefer not to have you suggesting to me that I'm a pervert because you refused to put your clothes on again."

He merely just stared at her and scratched beneath his chin, turning to pour the wine as she finished up. How she easily cut through the head of lettuce and the salad toppings caught his interest and held it there for the duration of his wait, intrigued by how easily she handled the kitchen and a sharp knife.

"You must spend a good deal of time cooking," he asked off-handedly.

"Dad can't cook to save his life, so yes, I do most of the cooking. We can't afford to go out and eat all the time, and meals at home are more comfortable, anyways."

That Kyoya could not deny, as he sat down at the small kitchen table that was rarely ever used except during cram sessions and late night cravings. Although Kyoya spent most of his time in his own home, it was never a comfortable haven unless he was behind his own locked door and undisturbed.

When meal time came around, the stiff formalities provided no comfort for him. Regality presided over the family meals; your every move was watched and analyzed as you ate. If you cut your bread too sharply, you were aggravated. Chewing your food too hastily was deemed impolite and rude as it meant you were eager to depart from their company. Any sudden movement could result in a prodding question that he simply never felt like answering.

Sitting there, eating under the dim lights and the unbiased gaze of the chocolate haired girl across from him, it was an entirely different experience. Even when they had eaten at the mall he had not been so relaxed and care free as he was now.

His home had now become the one place he enjoyed being, regardless of the time or the place. If she was there, everything was an easier burden to bear. A fleeting thought brushed by that made his eyes droop slightly.

He had hoped that he had the same effect on her as she sat there munching on the sandwich she had fixed and taking a bite out of the salad. She avoided the sliced strawberries, saving them for last.

"Would you like to go visit your father again tomorrow?"

Haruhi tried to keep her reaction calm; it was what she wanted more than anything else.

"If that is okay with you, I'd like to."

"Very well,"

Kyoya agreed, taking a bite of his own salad before replying.

"We'll go after I finish some more work tomorrow."

"We? As in, _you're_ going too?"

It seemed strange, Kyoya offering his time to go sit with her in a crowded hospital just for her father. Though, she noted, it did earn him even more brownie points with her father once he woke up. She realized that Kyoya must have a landslide of points compared to the blonde haired idiot, Tamaki, in her fathers' book.

"If you would find that acceptable. It's best that I accompany you so that you aren't cornered by the press or any questionable characters."

Slowly sucking the flavor from the ripe strawberry slice, Haruhi wondered if any of those 'questionable characters' had anything to do with her fathers' comatose slumber.

___

It had been a long afternoon, from running to the grocery store to pick up something for lunch, popping in his curlers since his hair just didn't seem to want to behave today, and having to deal with THE worst hang nail he had ever experienced in his life.

Handling the clippers to cut off the dastardly piece of skin had proved futile, and three shorter nails and one bleeding finger later, Ranka gave up with a sigh and chucked the clippers into a small pile on the table. He'd have to make sure that was cleaned up before Haruhi came back home or he would be given an ear full on his failure to keep the house neat and pristine like she had left it.

Work had been better, serving a few tables of hot athletes had certainly improved his mood, and a wink in his direction had definitely been appreciated.

"Got a coupl'a boys in the back tha need tendin to, Ranks. Could ya cover for me?" Andrew asked in his foreign tone, running his fingers through his wavy blonde locks. Andrew had been working with Ranka for a few years now, straight from England, and proved to be a better bartender than a waiter. He could mix some mean drinks that had funny English names he couldn't quite wrap his tongue or his memory around, but they were delicious and popular none the less.

That, and everyone enjoyed it when he step danced in a short kilt on the bar. After all, they were mostly Japanese. Which of them would know the difference between someone from England, Scotland, or Ireland? He was part Irish, after all. He also had a slight Irish twang to his speech, even when he spoke Japanese. And that blonde array of wavy locks was just adorable with his green eyes.

"Sure, but you owe me one of those bloody… bloody noses?"

His laugh was musical and light as he placed the drinks on the tray and passed them over to a confused Ranka.

"They're called bloody mary's, Ranks. Yeesh, ya japs don't know anything abo' the good stuff. I swear to ya, I was related to tha lady that drink was named after, that's why I make it soo good."

Ranka returned the laugh, heading over to the small booth of laughing middle aged men and tending to them. They all had friendly, half drunken smiles plastered on their average looking faces, and pleasing them with a little tilt of his head and a sweet little flutter of his eyelashes was simple enough, nearly downright easy.

"Oi, Ranks, ya gotta phone call."

Ranka heard shouted from the bar, and dismissed himself with a smile and a wave, taking the receiver in his hand and holding it to his ear.

"Moshi moshi, Ranka speaking!"

The dull, professional voice on the other end of the line, and fleetingly Ranka hoped he never landed a job that had to be that impossibly boring that he would sound so unappealing over the phone.

When the person calling addressed himself as Lt. Osada, Ranka immediately recognized that strict voice for exactly who it was.

"Yes, Haruhi is fine, I just talked to her a little while ago, why are you-"

Ranka stopped and paused for a moment as Osada cut him off, quickly addressing the reason he was calling.

"He's **WHAT?!"**

Ranka shouted into the phone, causing the bar chatter to cease and Andrew to pause, stopping with his glass and dish towel in hand.

"You can't possibly expect me to just **STAY CALM** if you're telling me the police let some rampant psycho killer out into the streets with my daughter out there! Osada, are you serious!?"

The drone now became an authoritative buzz on the other end of the line, telling him to stay where he was until his men could assess the situation and locate their missing homicidal maniac.

"Alright. But I'm calling Haruhi right now and telling her. If anyone deserves to know, it's her. She's had to live with it just like I have."

Ranka slid the receiver back over the bar top and Andrew picked it up and looked at it weirdly, placing the phone to his ear and apologizing for Ranka's behavior and hanging up when he heard the buzz of the dial tone.

"Hey, ya alrigh there? You look like your eyes are gonna bug outta your skull, ya know? Calm down, for me, please?"

One of the good qualities that Andrew had seemed to be born with was the ability to make almost anyone smile through the rough times and see the bright side of things. He always had that effect on Ranka, and he felt his lip muscles twitch upwards as he rubbed the wavy locks and tousled them into the watering eyes. The yelp of annoyance only eased the tension in his body more.

"And one more thing, could ya get me tha oysters outa the back freezer for me? Kato's gone through nearly all o' the ones I had up here, and it doesn't look like he's gonna stop any time soon."

Katos round face looked up and smiled from a bar stool in slight embarrassment, waving an empty shell their way and returning his attention to the tv. Kato always came to enjoy their oysters, so they always had at least two dozen out at the bar, but today had been rather packed.

"Sure. Mind the customers while I'm gone?"

A nod was sent his way and Ranka made his way back to the last of the three freezers, to the one storing their oysters and bar delicacies they were famous for. The coat he normally kept on a peg was missing, but Ranka decided he would be fine for the five minutes he was going to be in there. He could always chew out Andrew later for being so careless.

Ranka shuffled through the different boxes, finding one with a good amount of oysters that needed to be shucked, and grabbed them, making his way back to the door only to find it locked.

"That's strange," Ranka muttered to himself, trying the handle again. He set down the box, pulling harder on the door to see if it was just stuck.

It wasn't.

**"Hey! Andrew! Open up! This isn't funny!"**

Ranka shouted through the nearly sound proof plating of the freezer door. A shiver racked his spine and Ranka rubbed his arms for warmth, seeing something out of the corner of his eye taped to the wall.

**_'The truth can be concealed with make-up. Your death can not. –A'_**

Suddenly, Andrew didn't seem to be behind the purple gas filtering through the air vents that choked off his breathing and made his lungs burn. It was all Ranka could do to keep his eyes open as he saw a familiar face outside of the glass turning the corner and staring at him in horror.

Hearing Andrew shouting his name through the door was the last thing Ranka heard before giving in to the overwhelming blackness that welcomed him from the purple gas and futile gasps for air.

___

"Dancing is definitely a sport. Do you know how limber you have to be and how much training you have to go through to be able to do the high bars and all of those jumps from the bars?"

Haruhi countered to a dismissive Kyoya who merely scoffed and waved his hand at her.

"If dancing is a sport than the classification has been severely altered. It was to my understanding that a sport was something that involved more than leotards and music."

Their midnight dinner had gone well, Haruhi having nearly sucked down every strawberry she managed to get her hands on, much to Kyoya's amusement, and they began a small conversation to pass the time. It began easily enough, with both of them trying to get their thoughts away from more depressing matters, and instead began discussing their general interests. They had agreed on their proffered type of music and their taste in art, even in books and literature. When it came down to Haruhi admitting her fondness for watching the dancing shows on television, however, her and Kyoya had two completely differing opinions.

"It's more that that! It takes technicality and precision and practice and dedication and-"

"That's all very well and good, but may I also remind you that tennis also requires those qualities, and is much more admirable than dancing."

Kyoya interrupted her, smirking as her face began to heat up under his bedroom lights. They had moved from the kitchen back upstairs in order to prepare for bed, but had gotten side tracked with their argument.

"Tennis? Yes, because hitting a little green ball around with a racket is much more interesting than dancing," was her sarcastic retort. Kyoya's glasses were slid back onto his nose, reflecting the lights to create a glare hiding his eyes from hers.

"At least I'm capable of playing tennis," Kyoya countered, cutting into Haruhi with his underhanded insult. They both remembered how the Host Club had resigned themselves as dance instructors in order to teach Haruhi the common Waltz.

"I can dance! Now…" She muttered below her breath, though Kyoya's gaze twitched her way and an eyebrow rose in mock amusement.

"Yes you can, though at the cost of a foot."

How snide his attitude was began to boil inside of Haruhi, and she allowed herself to get worked up. It had been a while since she had been angry at something that wasn't life changing, so why not at least indulge a little bit and mull over the trivial things for now?

"Here,"

Haruhi announced, removing herself from the couch facing Kyoya and standing straight and tall, arm extended out towards him.

"I'll show you."

"Please, do be careful of my feet, Haruhi."

His left hand made its way into her right, though he placed it in his shoulders and moved both of his hands down to the curve of her hips, smirking as she tried to think of where to place her free hand.

"Either place it on my upper arm or my shoulder," Kyoya told her, watching her annoyed gaze shift up as he set the pace slowly and only smirked wider when she made sure to look down and watch her feet. His finger slid beneath her chin and tilted it back upwards so that her eyes were once again meeting his own and let his soft touch linger for a moment longer than he normally would have.

"Try to refrain from looking down, it's considered impolite to your partner."

The word partner seemed double edged to her, carrying more meaning with it than should be intended.

They swayed to no music, only the fluttering heart beat in Haruhi's chest that served as an unreliable tempo meter. Haruhi could feel the slow and steady heart beat through the soft skin of Kyoya's palm, and thought for a moment that his heart beat was beginning to accelerate, motioned forward by the speeding drum of her own heart.

"See," she said stubbornly after a minute or two. "I can dance well enough."

"Yes, perhaps, but I believe it's because I'm you're partner that you're doing so well. Other men might not be so guiding," he explained as he twirled her around lightly, catching her waist again and swaying her faster.

"Maybe," she agreed out of politeness, trying her best not to look back down at her feet. Slowly, Kyoya stepped away and looked her up and down before nodding and going to his closet to find sleep clothes and shower. She took the hint and moved to her own room, doing the same. Haruhi wondered whether or not she should return to his room, and instead left the door cracked just in case, dimming the lights and laying down on her own bed.

If he needed her, he had legs and a mouth to summon her with. The down comforter around her was warm and inviting as she snuggled beneath it and sighed, missing the warmth that she had grown used to that slept beside her with a steady breath.

'It's just Kyoya,' she reminded herself for the millionth time. 'It doesn't matter if he's in here or not, I can sleep just as well without him.'

Her words were not as convincing as she'd hoped they would be, not to herself nor her body as it laid there for nearly another hour, demanding she not sleep alone. Padding over to the cracked door, Haruhi saw that the laptop was once again on, and a damp Kyoya sat hunched behind it, rigorously typing away at the keys until she touched his shoulder. Then, Kyoya paused, clacked a few more keys and pressed the enter button, and closed the lap top, arching his neck and looking up at her lightly knitted brow.

"Overtime," Kyoya told her, and she nodded her head easily enough, believing Kyoya would clock in all hours of the day if he wasn't preoccupied with entertaining her.

"Why is it that you always seem to be tense?" She asked him in a motherly tone, feeling the knotted muscles beneath his skin yet again, to which he just shrugged and cracked his neck. Giving him a quick rub down smoothed his angry muscles down and calmed him yet again, though she stayed away from the sensitive skin of his ears and opted to work out the muscles in his arms, instead.

"Why is it that you're bothering to ask?"

Although he couldn't see her, she just shrugged as he had and patted his shoulder, standing behind him as Kyoya stood up and stretched lightly, turning and holding out his hand for a moment, which she took with a curious glance.

Kyoya led her to the bed, answering her questions without words. She was to sleep with him again another night.

__

**Whoookay now. **

**Painting, laughing, kissing, late night snackage, and dancing to no music what so ever. **

**Sounds like their kind of night, yah? **

**lol. Well, Looks like the H stood for more than just one person, don't you think? Tamaki was left with an H, and Ranka with an A. **

**could there be a pattern here? **

**=] **

**And what was Kyoya doing on his laptop like a sneaky little boy? **

**Well, find out next time, alrightie? REVIEW please, I didn't get as many as I would have hoped, though the ones I did get were WONDERFUL and I thank you SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOOOOo much. **

**=] **

**Do yo thang, readers! **


	10. Paucis verbis

**Paucis verbis** - _In a few words _

Kyoya had refused to let her go back to school. Haruhi had argued, telling him that she couldn't stay at the top of her class when she was confined to the same walls every day and wasn't allowed to at least go to her classes once a week to keep up.

Kyoya had almost won, but then Haruhi used a low blow to knock back Kyoya's almost victory.

"My father wouldn't want me to just sit around sulking the entire time and ignoring my school work. I have my own responsibilities that I have to take care of before myself, you know."

It took him a minute to recover, and what he wanted to say hesitated on the tip of his tongue. The last few days had passed by smoothly since they had spent their evenings painting portraits and eating late night dinners. Even Yoshio had joined in on one of their late night meals, laughing when Haruhi made a small face out of the fruit she had prepared and nearly scaring Kyoya out of his wits when Yoshio managed to learn how to flip pancakes from the girl, much to the maids' dismay.

He'd managed to get flower over nearly half of the kitchen, he'd dropped nearly half of the eggs on the floor, and the first few attempts at pancakes were stuck to the ceiling and he'd refused to let Haruhi clean it up, moving on instead to showing her the proper settings for the table and leaving Kyoya to direct the maids to clean up his fathers mess.

"Yes, however, that doesn't change the fact that I'm not the only one who doesn't agree with the idea of letting you attend school again. You have no idea as to who's responsible for these accidents."

Haruhi arched her brow up at him, taking a sip of the cool tea in front of her. They sat in the enclosed nook in the tropical area of the house, enclosed in the cool shade that did nothing for their heated tempers.

"And I suppose you do?"

She'd meant it as an insult and hadn't expected to see his eyebrow twitch and his lips grow thin under the strain of his thoughts.

"You do, don't you? You know who's been doing all of this, to me and my father and Tamaki."

"The dates don't match up, so I can't be certain. I believe that the culprit behind your father is different from the one behind yours and Tamaki's accidents."

The dates were not the only things that didn't match up to Kyoya or those who were investigating the accidents. Each scene aside from Haruhi's had a calling card with a different initial left on it. No one was sure whether or not they were two different people or if the letters stood for something other than the names of the potential homicidal maniacs. It wouldn't do him any good to worry Haruhi by telling her his own theories.

"But you have an idea as to who's behind it, don't you? I know you do, otherwise you wouldn't have told me that much."

"I don't," Kyoya lied through his pearly white teeth, stirring his own drink mildly with his straw and meeting her heated gaze in the hopes that his cool demeanor would be enough to dampen her temper. She had become so free in her expressions when she was around Kyoya lately, trusting him to understand her emotions as she was beginning to understand his own.

Haruhi 'hmphed' and crossed her arms, allowing a childish pout to spread across her face and she turned her gaze to the shimmering pool that danced underneath the sunlight and the smooth ripples from the small waterfall, making the sunlight sparkle across the surface.

"It would be wise not to worry about it. While you're in good company everything will be taken care of."

Kyoya said good company as if he actually believed himself. If good company could turn one of the most rational, understanding people he'd ever met into a sulking, childishly pouting creature then he certainly met the criteria.

"Yes, but I don't need to be taken care of, it's my father and everyone else who needs it. I'm not as ignorant as you might believe me to be, I can see what's happening. Someone's targeting everyone around me. I've already been attacked, as have Tamaki and my father. Do you think I'm too blind to see that?"

He might have known that she'd figure it out on her own. Yes, that was the conclusion that everyone else had come to as well, and he had taken the liberty to warn everyone that he saw as potential targets. Namely, the Host Club.

They had been shocked to hear that they all might be attacked as Tamaki and Ranka had been, but accepted the fact that Haruhi was worth more to them than almost anyone else and agreed that they would do whatever was in their power to keep her safe at any and all costs.

"No, I had a feeling you would figure it out. I already had, but informing you of my findings would only spoil the small amount of composure you've managed to regain."

'_I didn't want to hurt you again,'_ was what he had meant to say. Looking into those softening caramel orbs, Kyoya saw that she had understood his underlying message and nearly allowed himself to smile, but refrained from doing so. He was beginning to get too soft these days.

"Then you could just break it to me gently,"

Haruhi teased, punching his fore arm gently and taking another sip of her tea. They returned to their peaceful silence and resumed reading their own novels, enjoying the afterglow of waking up on the edge of morning and afternoon and a short dip in the pool.

Haruhi's skin had long since dried from the remaining drops of water, but Kyoya was still damp, having lingered in longer than she had and only dabbing at his skin with a towel. Haruhi soon began shivering as the dampness of her towel began to set in, and they decided to retire back to their own rooms where they could both shower and 'cool off' from their heated discussions.

A surprise lay in wait for Haruhi, sitting on the edge of her bed and neatly packaged.

Her eye twitched as she opened it, only to reveal yet another dress to add to her collection.

"What's it for this time?"

Haruhi muttered to herself, pulling the small fuzzy bathrobe tighter against herself.

"Asking yourself questions you don't know the answer to is rather counterproductive, Haruhi. You should ask me, instead."

She hadn't noticed the still frame in the doorway as she exited the bathroom, and nearly squealed in surprise to hear his voice. Instead a small 'meep' escaped past her lips, reddening her cheeks as she pulled her robe tighter against her and tucked a damp lock behind her ear.

She hadn't really thought to put on any clothes underneath.

In spite of the embarrassing situation, Haruhi didn't retreat back to the bathroom like she would have if it were anyone else standing in her bedroom after she'd taken a nice long shower and gotten rid of the chills from swimming. Instead, she stood on the other side of the bed and kept her hands crossed against her chest so that the robe would not develop a mind of its own and slip off her small frame while she had company.

"I hadn't thought you would be standing there waiting for me to come out. How long HAVE you been standing there, anyways?"

Kyoya strolled into the room, stopping on the other end of the bed and leaned over slightly to lift the dress from the box. It started a bright orange on the top, slowly fading to sunshine yellow and then finally to a light powder yellow with intricate designs fading with the colors. She had to admit that she liked it, until she reached for the straps and grabbed nothing but thin air.

"When am I going to be entrusted with the task of picking out my own dresses?"

Haruhi asked incredulously.

"Whenever I get bored of doing it for you."

"Oh, so you're going to pick out my funeral dress when I die of embarrassment, right?"

Haruhi ran her fingers over the soft silk of the dress. It didn't look incredibly expensive, given the subtle simplicities of the design, but she knew better than to think that Kyoya would buy anything other than the very best.

"Quite possibly. Is the dress really that awful? I thought you'd be fond of it."

It looked like Kyoya was running back on his mental notes of what she seemed to like and dislike, wondering where he went wrong. She seemed fond of the simple things, and this was as simple as he was willing to get.

"It's a pretty dress, but what's it for?"

"Dinner,"

Kyoya answered, running his hands through his hair and adjusting the jacket he had donned after he had gotten out of the shower. Apparently she wasn't very observant, seeing as she hadn't noticed he was also dressed in his semi formal apparel with a blue button up shirt instead of an orange or yellow to match her dress. Haruhi was thankful he hadn't picked out a tacky tropical tie to somehow match her.

"with the Host Club."

Everyone understood the underlying danger that came with meeting up in a public place, but they were willing to take it.

Haruhi had nagged Kyoya the entire ride, asking why he had been so foolish as to place them all in a potential death trap.

"If worst came to worst, Hunni and Mori are able to fend for themselves, and the twins could easily annoy their captors into letting them go. Tamaki's already been attacked, as have you, and I have my own personal guards. Your worries are all for nothing, I assure you."

It was a slight insult that she wouldn't think he was capable of thinking all of this out. There was no way he would miss such an obvious threat, needless to say.

That, and who in their right mind would attack them at a seafood restaurant?

As their car pulled to a stop, Haruhi pulled the blue shawl around herself that Kyoya had remembered to purchase for her and stepped out, taking his arm even though it was one of the very last things she wanted to do right now. She shivered and walked forward, forcing a small smile on her face for the two men holding open the door. Their jackets had small 'O's' on them, and she knew right away that they were two of the guards placed there by Kyoya. That, and they were two of the biggest men she'd ever laid eyes on in her life.

Kyoya guided her down a hall that was so long and narrow, Haruhi swore the floors were beginning to slant downwards. There were no windows in the hallway, and soon they were met with a set of steps leading even further down.

"Am I missing something here?" Haruhi asked skeptically as she met his eyes, his hand guiding him down the set of stairs by holding onto the railing for support.

She had nearly yanked him onto his backside.

"What is it?" he asked pointedly, tugging her arm that was still in his lightly and continuing his short trek.

"We've been walking forever and now we're going down stairs and I swear that hallway was slanted."

Haruhi wasn't enthused in the slightest when Kyoya just smiled and continued walking, turning the handle to the door they finally came to. The sudden burst of light that filled into the dimly lit hallway gave way to one of the most astonishing sights she'd ever seen.

Kyoya led her into the room, a glassed in area the size of her apartment with one long table in the center that seated her smiling friends. Around them, behind the glass, was nothing but crystal clear water and brightly colored tropical fish that swam past slowly. Haruhi blinked slowly, taking all of this in.

"I can't believe…" she had to stop as Kaoru grabbed her in his arms and spun her around, giving way to Hikaru who nearly choked all of the air out of her.

"Isn't it amazing, Haruhi?"

Kaoru asked in excitement, rushing over to press his hands on the glass and tapping lightly to get a fish's attention and laughing.

"And they serve seafood you'll die for."

Hikaru winced as Kyoya glared at him for his poor choice of words, but was thankful Haruhi didn't seem to notice, having been pressed into another chest that belonged to the blonde haired idiot.

"Ah, my precious daughter! It's been so long since you've been in daddy's arms! You must be so lonesome having only mommy as company. Here, come look at the underwater magnificence that encloses us in our own little tropical haven!"

The hand around her shoulders dragged her to the glass where Kaoru stood, and Tamaki tapped on the glass as Kaoru did. No fish came and Tamaki looked over to the smirking Kaoru and Hikaru who had attracted nearly ten fish.

Tamaki tapped harder, now rapping on the glass with his knuckles and not noticing Haruhi moving away to greet Mori and Hunni.

As if out of nowhere, a startling scream and a chorus of identical laughter filled the dining room and everyone turned their heads to the disturbance, bursting out in laughter at the giant squid that had latched itself against the glass with it's suckers. The squid had it's mouth pressed against the glass, allowing Tamaki a clear glance at what lay thankfully behind the indestructible glass.

"You're such a dumbass sometimes, Tamaki," Naoki sighed and grabbed the frozen boy, dragging him back to his seat at the table and waving to Haruhi fondly.

"Haru-channnn, I'm so happy to see you! Are you happy to see me too? And Takashi, oh, he missed you too!"

Mori nodded and turned his head to hide the faint blush that stained his cheeks, picking up his menu and pretending to absorb himself in it.

"Of course I did. I'm glad to see you all again together, it's been a while."

In a morbid sort of way, she had hoped that it would have been longer, after all of this insanity had calmed down and there was no threat out on their lives because of her.

They all sat down at the table, Hikaru and Kaoru beside her and Kyoya in front of her, Mori and Hunni on either side of him. Tamaki sat in front of Naoki who had taken his seat beside Kaoru, the easier going of the twins and his favored of the two.

Haruhi couldn't help but laugh as the twins teased Tamaki for his interest in Naoki and how 'well' they knew the boy, so to speak. When Hunni asked Tamaki if he'd finally turned to boys, she nearly busted with laughter, holding her hand over her mouth when Tamaki looked at her with teary eyes.

"Hey, can I have the poisson gateaux, Takashi, can I, can I?"

Hunni whined, holding his menu up and pointing to the small cursive letters. If there was one word that Hunni recognized in almost any language, it was 'cake'. He didn't know what the other word meant, but if it was cake he knew he would love it.

"Hm," Mori nodded to the smiling blonde, and handed his own menu to the waiter as he ordered the same thing.

Everyone could feel the tense air Haruhi had wrapped herself in, and they all could see how firmly she gripped her water glass as she took a sip.

"Are you alright, Haruhi?"

Naoki asked as he leaned over the table past Kaoru to meet her eyes.

"Oh, I'm fine, it's just… I'm really happy you guys came out to see me, but-"

"If it's for you, all of us would do anything."

Mori silenced the room as she looked at all of them; Hikaru's and Kaoru's agreeing faces, Tamaki's beaming look of adoration as he tried to ignore the squid still sucking against the glass, Kyoya's small smirk, Naoki's raised eyebrow and quirked lips, and Hunni's wide smile.

They were her friends, and she'd been there for each and every one of them time and time again, and even though Naoki didn't know her very well, the genuine warmth that she gave off was more than enough to put her in his small circle of trusted friends.

"Thanks,"

Haruhi said from a lack of words, letting her smile beam across the table at each and every one of them.

Dinner continued on and the tension drifted out and was dissolved by the tropical waters surrounding them, leading the way for their dinner to be served. Hunni lifted the lid on his cake and poked at it with his fork.

"This isn't cake!"

He cried out, looking up at the faltering smile of the waitress as the blonde's eyes began to water and his cheeks grew pink.

"Where's my cake?"

"That is cake. It's fish cake, what you ordered."

The waitress blinked, backing away from the slowly blinking boy who looked back from the fish cake to her.

"B-but, came is supposted to be sweet and delicious, not made of… fish!"

"We're in a seafood restaurant, Hunni, what else would it be made out of?"

Haruhi asked, taking a bite out of her seafood platter and her heart melting as she realized it was her beloved Ootoro. Even though it wasn't the sweet fluffy creation he loved, Hunni had to admit that it was tasty, even though the menu had been misleading.

Dinner progressed, and even though Haruhi tried her best, she couldn't help but wish that her father was there to spend this wonderful evening with her and her friends, and her heart grew sullen again.

As they finished up and made the crowded trek towards the surface, Haruhi found herself pulled into countless embraces and ordered to keep in touch; everyone would be in town for a good long while.

"We can't wait to see you in school on Friday, Haruhi!"

"Maybe you can even wear the female uniform, ya think?"

Hikaru teased, and Haruhi looked confused. It was Tuesday, not Friday, and she wasn't allowed to go to school.

Was she?

Haruhi looked over to Kyoya, who was shaking hands with Mori and waving them off as they departed in their own car. When he met her eyes and looked to the backs of Kaoru and Hikaru, he smirked and tucked his hands in his pockets, cocking his hips and watching in amusement.

"Uhh, yah, I'll be there I guess. See you then."

She said her good byes and blinked up at the still beaming Tamaki, who was more than thankful to be away from his 'new admirer'. Naoki thanked her and Kyoya for having him, and grabbed Tamaki by the ear when he tried to grapple Haruhi into his suffocating grasp.

"Ah, but-"

"Say your goodbyes verbally or not at all," Naoki warned, and squeezed Tamaki's ear before he let go, smirking at the chuckling girl.

Sighing in defeat, Tamaki said his tearful goodbyes, and was pushed into their car and Naoki waving from the door before closing it and having the driver take them home. Haruhi turned to confront Kyoya about his cunning little deception, but he was already entering the car and Haruhi hurried over before he got it in his mind to drive off without her.

She sat across from his as she had not so long ago, watching him silently as he looked out at the sunset through the tinted windows.

"When were you going to tell me you decided to let me go?"

Haruhi's heart was about to burst; she felt the happiness fluttering through her chest at the idea of returning to some normality in her past life and at the newfound trust Kyoya had placed in her. He had to trust her if he was allowing her to enter dangerous territory.

"Eventually. It's not an enjoyable topic to discuss right now, so if you please?"

Haruhi looked at him curiously, but settled back into her seat and smiled inwardly.

Kyoya was reeling about his decision; his father would definitely have something to say about this.

Why had seeing her so happy led him to telling Hikaru and Kaoru she'd be returning to her classes with them?

"_Because my heart wouldn't stop beating so quickly when her smile lit up the room,' _

Kyoya admitted to himself and groaned inwardly at his weakness. If he kept acting so out of character, he was going to lose his own identity to this girl, and he didn't like that idea one bit. She was beginning to become his breathing weakness, one that could be easily snatched away and used against himself and the others, admittedly. The only two choices he possessed at that time were to either get rid of the weakness and scrape out his feelings like a cancerous lump, or hold it tightly and never let it go.

Kyoya knew what he should do; it was plainly obvious to him that any weaknesses should be expelled from his body with one strong breath and all of the calamity he would have had to endure sacrificed for the comfortable loneliness he had once been so used to.

He looked at her cheek pressed lightly to the glass and the light fog every breath she took made, and remembered when the tingle of her exhaled sighs had brushed across his neck and how he had pressed that cheek into his palm and cupped it fondly like some fragile entity entrusted to only him.

That's what she was, after all. Haruhi was an irreplaceable treasure bestowed upon him for reasons he wasn't quite sure of, and if he was to trade that treasure for lonely nights and stiff formalities, it would be one of the most ignorant mistakes he could make in his life.

Her eyes peeped open, the liquid caramel nearly flowing forth and down her cheeks, but it stayed in its proper place, moving to shine in his direction and capturing his attention.

"Shouldn't we be home by now?"

Her voice broke the spell her warmth had cast over him, and the hairs on his neck bristled as he realized he had been captured by her innocent gaze so easily.

"We're not heading home just yet. We're stopping by the Hospital to see Ranka-san, or would you rather retire home instead?"

A shake of her head dispelled the question and she sat up in the seat with her knees drawn under her and her palms pressed to the glass.

Haruhi looked like a child expecting to see something magical take place on the side roads of Tokyo that led to her fathers Hospital, and Kyoya couldn't help but chuckle lightly at how truly innocent she was. Innocent, gullible, foolish, and entirely edible.

Sometimes Kyoya found himself wishing he could just swallow her whole, casting etiquette aside and licking the lingering crumbs from his fingers, she was just that delicious. Abstractly speaking, of course. There was no way she sparked a carnivorous hunger in him that would drive him to desiring her flesh. Kyoya meant her sweet and liquid warmth that spilled over her brim and engulfed everyone around her.

He shook his head at his insane thoughts, blaming the oysters he had enjoyed and the four or so glasses of chardonnay. If he continued having such embarrassing thoughts, he was going to swear off alcohol. His blood pressure wasn't worth having to endure the rolling bliss in the pit of his stomach or the urge to 'devour' her.

As the hospital rolled into sight, Kyoya told her that he would wait in the car so that she could visit her father personally.

"Are you sure? I don't mind if you come in."

She lingered in the door, one foot still on the floor of the car and the other on the curb as she stilled herself on the door.

"No. Please don't make me wait forever," he teased as she smiled and closed the door, leaving him alone in the back of the car.

His composure crumpled the moment he heard the door slam and sighed loudly, running his hand through his messy locks and removing his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Haruhi sat at her fathers' bedside, fixing the bouquets that she, Kyoya, and Andrew had brought to liven up his room. She told him of what was happening in her life while he was asleep, and held his thankfully warm hand. She swore she saw her father's lip twitch upward as she told the story of how Tamaki had attracted the giant squid at the restaurant that night, and squeezed his hand, telling him to wake up soon.

She kissed his forehead, promising to come and see him tomorrow, leaving the door open slightly so that he would have some guiding light to bring him back to her and everyone waiting for him to return.

Haruhi returned to the car in a considerably altered mood; her eyes weren't as bright nor her smile as carefree. Instead, she looked spent, as she usually did every time she exited through those hospital doors.

Kyoya hoped that she would not have to bear that look for much longer, for her sake and his own. It bothered him to have to see that drained face out of the corner of his eye as it looked out of the window with less hope and energy that it had possessed on their drive there.

"Thanks for tonight. And everything, again. I don't really know what else I can say other than thank you for everything you keep on doing for me."

Her eyes were set squarely on him, and he resigned to nodding and looking back to the winding trees that lined the long path way up to the mansion.

Tachibana wished them a good night as he closed the car door behind them. Kyoya and Haruhi made their way up the stone stairs and through the grand doors into the warmth of the center room and made their way to their rooms. Both entered through their own respective doors and shut the doors behind themselves quietly.

Kyoya loosened the buttons on the collar of his shirt and removed his belt and shoes, sighing as he slumped onto his couch and looked at his laptop, pushing it away and opting for freedom over productivity.

Haruhi leaned against the door and slipped off the small heels she had donned to match the dress, rubbing her throbbing feet gently and sighing at the angry red indents that cut into her skin. Thoughtlessly she drew a warm bath and filled it to half full, washing her face clean of the light make up and the day's filth and changed into one of the nightgowns Kyoya had purchased for her, a small white slip with a matching fluffy robe and slippers. Setting those aside, she sunk her feet into the water and splashed water onto her legs to enjoy the warmth the water had to offer.

A light knock on the open bathroom door and a light "are you decent?" alerted her to Kyoya's presence, and she turned her head to see him enter, still dressed in his evening wear, but without his jacket and shoes and belt, his shirt half unbuttoned. Kyoya looked over the edge of the steps and into the basin where her feet resided and winced lightly at the angry red mars in her pale feet, sitting on the edge and letting his legs rest on the ground so that he was facing her.

"It's not so bad," Haruhi admitted as she splashed her feet in the water a little and smiled in his direction. Kyoya remained silent and removed his glasses, setting them beside him and arching his brow in her direction.

"I see."

It was easy enough to see that she was referring to her feet, but her general assurance had led him to think of all the other topics she could be referring to when she said that.

He rolled up his own pant legs and dipped his own feet into the warm water in the tub, absently moving closer to Haruhi in the process. She didn't seem to notice, or mind, for that matter, and smiled up at him, splashing his feet lightly and getting his pants wet. Growling playfully, Kyoya splashed her back, the water seeping into the hem of her short night dress and she gasped as the warmth trickled down her thighs and calves and back into the warm pool.

Splashing wasn't enough of a revenge, and she shoved him lightly, making him smirk deviously. She instantly regretted challenging him when she was lightly shoved into the pool and blinked the water droplets away from her eyes.

"No fair!"

She shouted, and latched onto his hand that rested on the side of the tub, pulling him in with her. She hadn't thought before she acted, and when he ended up on top of her, she finally remembered the laws of physics and how gravity would always bring him crashing down on top of her when she made a stupid decision.

Kyoya absently looked down beneath his own body, to the dripping wet torso and soaked white night dress that exposed the skin beneath it; she had only thought to keep her panties on.

The sight was enough to make his cheeks redden, and Haruhi blinked at his reaction, looking down and nearly shrieking, trying to cover herself and blushing crimson in embarrassment. Her scream had been enough to break Kyoya out of his small bout of modesty, and quickly his wit returned in overdrive as he remained stationary, pinning her beneath his legs and arms as she squirmed to cover herself.

"Very fair, I'd say. Very fair indeed."

Kyoya looked her torso over again for emphasis, smirking as she blushed ever redder and it leeched down her neck to the revealed skin of her chest and collar bone. Haruhi ducked her head away to hide her shame and her eye twitched as he chuckled, mocking her modesty.

"What's so funny? I don't see anything to laugh about, considering you're not the one exposed."

Kyoya settled his hips atop her own, pressing her deeper into the water and moving his torso closer to her own; her back was still pressed against the side of the tub and her breath was shaky.

"I could always get serious, if that would be more appeasing to you?"

One hand brushed against her side under the water, ghosting upward and resting beside her face casually as he dropped his head low enough so that his breath was hot against her warm cheek.

She honestly didn't know what to do as he chuckled against her neck and scraped his teeth lightly against her jugular vain, causing her to raise her hips and whimper at the breaths ghosting over her skin.

Kyoya lightly ran his tongue over the water droplets that dotted across her collarbone and neck, leaving her chest untouched and shivering lightly. He wasn't sure if she was scared, uncertain, or aroused, but the feeling of her torso shaking beneath his own was nearly enough to blind him in need. He'd restrained himself and his animal urges since they had met up that day in the café, and his body was nearly aching for some sort of release. Taking things further seemed desirable, but he knew it wasn't right to do so if she was not as excited about the idea as he was.

Kyoya sighed and leaned back, narrowing his eyes down at Haruhi who was breathing shakily and blinking up at him strangely.

Her lack of reaction led him to sigh and begin to stand up from the pool of water, but her hand shot out of the water and she grabbed the hem of his shirt, moving to sit on her knees and stretch her torso up as far as it could go, her chin arched up and cheeks pink against her pale flesh. Her other hand reached up and he caught it in his own, still looking down through his narrowed and expressionless eyes to her half lidded caramel orbs.

She hadn't had a sip of alcohol all night.

"Possibly," she whispered, gripping his shirt so tightly her knuckles began to turn white. Until now his mind had been muddled in a thin veil of fog that fought off all conscious thought, but the moment he bent his knees to touch the bottom of the basin, it all cleared.

Suddenly Kyoya realized that what he was doing wasn't quite right yet. It took himself a moment to confirm his decision, and he took hold of her gripping hand, taking hold of her waist and pulling her up and out of the shallow bath, using the still remaining shred of dignity he had remaining and kept his eyes locked on hers while he removed the drenched slip.

It seemed strange to have her night gown stripped and to be standing there, mostly naked in a rather chilly bathroom with her arms crossed over her chest in modesty. A moment ago, she had been so wound up in the attentions she had agreed to something she didn't quite understand, and her thoughtless reply had scared her.

When he wrapped her in the fluffy white robe she had laid on the chair, tying it loosely around her waist and barely touching a spare lick of skin when he could avoid it, Haruhi knew he understood as well.

They were still kids. Or she was, at least.

That, and story book smut was new to Haruhi in her own unwinding reality. Giving her time to adjust to all of the imposing new roles and responsibilities thoughtlessly handed over to her was enough of a burden, let alone having to learn one thousand and one ways to please a man.

Her lips, her eyes, her warm smile; it would serve to be more than enough as she embraced her new life and wound her way deeper into his own. Kyoya knew waiting for someone like her was well worth it.

Haruhi looked up to him in question as he undid the rest of the buttons on his shirt and removed a towel from the linen closet, loath to remove his soaked pants until the dull throb died down and faded away.

"What exactly was that?"

The towel tossed to her smacked her lightly in the face, and she struggled to catch it, looking up with an annoyed glare as she proceeded to dry her hair with it; Kyoya chewed on the inside of his lip.

"I believe Americans refer to it as 'third base'."

Haruhi looked at the inside of the tub, kneeling on the top step and looking back.

"Bases? Like baseball bases? That's so stupid, why would you have a base in your bath tub, anyways?"

Kyoya blinked at her for a few moments as he registered what she just said. Her wide eyed innocent stare and how she kept glancing into the tub showed just how unsullied she truly and really was, and he wasn't sure if he should be worried or humored about her lack of romantic knowledge.

So, naturally, Kyoya assumed the role of 'Kyoya-sensei' and explained the relationship between bases and sex.

"Oh my- why the hell would they- they just really- and I just looked for a base in the bath tub?"

Haruhi stumbled with her thoughts, not knowing exactly what to say. Why the hell did those people compare baseball with bed play? She understood the 'homerun' concept, but why was kissing and making out first base?

"What's next? Drinks named after sexual favors?"

Again, he stared at her.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Haruhi stood there in disbelief at how stupid those people could be. And Japan looked to America as an equal? Really?

"Perhaps you could write your next term paper on the subject," Kyoya suggested with a smirk.

"At least now you'll have first hand knowledge on what happens."

Kyoya laughed lightly as he made his way out of the bathroom, a fuming Haruhi hot on his heels. When he made his way to the door, she nearly pushed him through it, muttering about 'arrogant rich bastards' as she slammed it shut and went to find something else to wear.

Haruhi pushed through the different garments hanging up in the closet, sorting through the nightwear she had accumulated since she had begun living there. Her hand made its way up to her collar bone where he had left a pink mark and lingered there for a moment, her soft touch grazing over the slightly raised skin.

It had really happened. She had almost let herself go.

'_Almost,'_ she reminded herself. _'Not quite. I just have to watch my tongue from now on,'_ Haruhi told herself.

The thought of those bases was enough to set her resolve as she slipped on an almost identical night dress to the soaked one, only dyed ivory.

The thought of skinning her knees in the dirt scared her slightly, as did the threat of grass stains and running too slowly.

The thought of striking out or loosing anyone on her team made her heart skip a beat and freeze in cold fear.

Kyoya quickly changed out of his wet pants and decided not to worry about the shirt he had left laying in Haruhi's bathroom. It would find its way back to him one way or another, most likely with rumors attached.

Oh well, it was his house, after all. He was nearing twenty and Haruhi was nearing eighteen. Rumors were bound to be flying around anyways. The laptop remained abandoned on the couch as Kyoya opted to sit at his desk and contemplate the plans he would have to make for the nearing party. It was to be a combined celebration of his birthday and Haruhi's coming out into society as well as a final farewell to Sudao.

It was obvious that Haruhi was not comfortable with the idea; extravagance wasn't necessary in her opinion. When Haruhi walked in, dressed and rubbing her arm awkwardly, Kyoya ignored it and asked for her input on the whole ordeal.

"I agree that your father has to be planning something, but I just don't know what. Maybe he's just got some potential clients coming that were part of Murakami industries' partners and he wants to work with them as well. I don't know, you're more fluent in business than I am, after all."

Yes, he'd already thought of that, but a dance that could also be considered a ball wasn't exactly necessary for something like that.

His father DID love to impress, but still.

'_It'd be wise to start fresh in the morning,' _his mind told him wearily, and he agreed.

After all, he had the rest of the week to figure it out, the ball wasn't until Saturday.

The sheets were pulled back, and both bodies crawled into their well known crevices and melded in the middle of the soft mattress, and suddenly the thought of silly bases wasn't so scary anymore.

**Aww, ya ya ya I know cute right? All I have to say is I TRICKED YOU! **

**You thought you were gonna get smex, **

**But you didn't, because no one lines an easy Haruhi. God knows I don't. **

**Pardon my usage. **

**Well, you get the host club, and yes, they don't get much say in my story, because too much dialect will garble my thought process, so you get the easiest lines I can give them until they have something important to say. Alright, I'm outie, review! Any questions, just write! **

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **


	11. Si vis amari, ama

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club. Really now, who would think that I did? I'm pretty sure the author has better things to do than submit fanfiction about their own stories, though I think that it is something i'd do XDD. **_

**Alright, i'm back, and even though I have a slew of work right now, you're getting this monster of a chapter because I already had most of it done before my laptop got sick and you all deserve much more for the wait, but i'm not ruining the story to proove how sorry I am lol. **

**I'm glad my baby is all better now!! **

***Pets my laptop* **

**Be thankful that its so wonderful and the man that fixed it is fuckin awesome!!! lol. **

**Si vis amari, ama** - _If you wish to be loved, love _

_---  
_

Kyoya felt the need to reiterate himself one night at the ballet Haruhi and his father had dragged him to. Dancing wasn't a sport, not in the least. Dancing was one of the most uninteresting, boring things he had been forced to spend two hours sitting through.

It all began on a Wednesday morning. His father didn't begin the day attempting to serve him burnt eggs in a frilly pink apron covering his business suit, and he'd actually been able to swallow the crepes put in front of him as his father gave him an uncharacteristic smile and patted his shoulder.

"You've been growing taller these past few months, Kyoya. How tall are you now?"

His father took his seat at the head of the table and Haruhi looked up from breakfast, fixing the shoulder of the second turtle neck she'd donned in an attempt to cover up the marks Kyoya had left on her skin that morning in a new attempt to try and rouse her from sleep.

"Around 6'4 or 6'5 I would assume, I haven't been keeping track."

Kyoya cut a bite of his crepe with the edge of his fork and chewed it slowly, meeting his fathers' steady gaze across the pitcher of orange juice.

"Ah, is that so?"

Yoshio set his fork and knife down and patted his mouth clean, taking a moment to pause and look at his youngest son.

"Itoshi was only 6'3 when his twentieth birthday came along. I'd imagine you would have stopped growing by this age, but you both have surprised me. And Haruhi, how tall are you?"

She blinked at the mention of her height. She couldn't be over 5'5, her mother had only reached that height and her father wasn't especially tall, either.

"5'4 or so, my mother was small as well so I imagine I'll take after her."

Breakfast continued on in silence, Kyoya avoiding the urge to look up at Haruhi every time she reached for her glass of orange juice or dabbed at her lips with a napkin. His father was already plotting something as it was; having him begin to babble out strange insinuations would only make matters worse for the both of them, as correct as they may be.

"You're nearly eighteen as I take it, aren't you my dear?"

Haruhi nodded in politeness and looked over to Kyoya with a crooked eyebrow to which he merely shrugged his right shoulder and waited for his father to continue.

"I've read a great deal about you, and I've listened to everything that Sudao and Kyoya have relayed to me pertaining to your academic successes."

"Oh, have you now?"

Haruhi muttered and narrowed her eyes at Kyoya mockingly. Yoshiro continued on as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"I believe you are a very intelligent woman, but I understand that inheriting your great grandfather's business is not desirable to you, am I correct?"

Her breath hitched in her throat. She knew this topic would come, but she had never really allowed herself to think about what could be said; everything always seemed too much. Kyoya felt her discomfort and had no way of assuring her, and his tongue darted past his teeth too soon for him to bite it back.

"She has no desire to run Murakami industries. She came to Ouran to help her advance in a Law career."

Haruhi breathed a silent thank you his way to which he nodded back. Yoshio took a bite from his plate and chewed thoughtfully for a moment before deciding how to proceed.

"I would like to make a proposition that would bend in your favor, Haruhi, if you are willing to discuss these matters informally with me?"

"Uh, y-yes," she stuttered, blinking rapidly underneath the direct stare of Yoshio.

"It would be in both of our best interests if you were to adopt the title as the head of the corporation and you served as the public figure head in an attempt to appease the other executives."

The proposition was easy enough to understand; Haruhi would take up the role of President in order to draw in the other businesses who would attempt to pull the wool over her eyes and advantage from her lack of business related knowledge.

"However, the work would not lie on your shoulders. All of the business dealings would fall to your partner, myself, and would be ran under your watch and by the code that Sudao set as the precedent for his company. Of course the profits would turn in your favor as well, and you could attend law school to follow your own ambitions without having to worry about tuition or the companies' welfare."

In short, all power would be handed over to her shadow and run by the hands of the Ootori Company. She had to admit, the urge to brush this burden off of her shoulders and be done with it was tempting. But as simple as she wanted to make it, she knew there were details that needed to be addressed.

"What about those people who are currently employed by Sudao's company? What will happen to them?"

Yoshio remained calm and didn't miss a beat responding to her question.

"They will remain under employment, and depending on the income that reestablishing control of the company brings, they could find more profit in the deal."

That thought was comforting. Haruhi did not like the thought of having thousands of workers turned out into the street due to her own selfish decisions.

"And what of Isao Yoshida? He is the vice president of the company, right? I remember Kyoya saying something about him a while ago."

She also remembered the bitterness on the tip of his tongue when he had spat the name out as if it tasted something foul, and saw the same reaction in his father. Yoshio's nose crinkled slightly at the thought of the young man and his deplorable ideals pertaining to business.

"If ever there was a man as opposite as night and day to Sudao, it was that man. The fact that he was made second in command of Murakami Industries was nothing more than a joke. It was a shame that Sudao passed on before being able to extinguish that snake."

Kyoya looked at his father in veiled interest; the last time his tongue had been so sharp against a business partner had been the last time Tamaki's father had strolled through their front door with some Indian tea and fresh honey comb and left with an expensive tea trailing after his head.

"So what would happen to him?"

She asked again, ignoring the sudden drop in air pressure as both men reeled on inside their heads.

"He would be… released from duty, so to speak. His place in the company would remain intact, but his power would be considerably depleted to minimize the complications we would face from his presence. You may see the side of good in everyone, Haruhi, but I promise you there is no good to be had within Yoshida."

Meeting Kyoya's eyes across the table confirmed Yoshio's opinion; Yoshida was nothing more than a snake; a leech on the Murakami company. He had no regard for the workers employed beneath him and frequently sunk his boney fingers into the profits he had no claim to for his personal enjoyment. Morals held no reign on his shoulders.

She sat in thought for a long while, paying no mind to the cooling breakfast laid out on the table. It seemed that the entire house paused to take a breath and held it as she finally opened her eyes.

"Would it be alright if I thought about your offer?"

"That would be acceptable."

Everyone breathed again.

"Now that we've breached that subject, would the two of you be interested in attending the ballet in town tonight?"

And all in one hour, his morning was turned upside down.

Haruhi spent the rest of the day brooding over the fates of workers she would probably never meet.

"DO you think that he's right, and they'll all get raises? It'd really help them out during Christmas time and would help with their children's' educations."

As she brooded over the millionth question she'd asked, Kyoya attempted to keep his tongue in check, biting back the sharp edge he longed to lash out with.

"Haruhi, they already make a fair amount as it is. I'm sure anything else would be more than enough."

Haruhi regarded him with an annoyed gaze, sighing at his lack of help. Kyoya tacked away at his laptop, his keys suffering the abuse of his aggravation.

"Oh. Well would I be able to give them more benefits? Everyone could use more work benefits."

'Is she mental?' He wondered to himself. His eyes peeked over the edge and glowered in her direction as he responded,

"We would own the hospitals they would visit, so yes, benefits would be extendable to workers."

"But what about if their kids need glasses? Or they have a tooth ache? And what about holidays and-"

Kyoya snapped. He'd dealt with the onslaught of idiotic questions and senseless babble, but when he'd begun to type those questions into an important document, he'd finally reached his wits end.

"Haruhi."

Said brunette looked up from her incessant rambles and to the glowering man seated behind his desk.

"What?" she asked innocently, cocking her head from the notebook she'd began to write down her concerns in.

"Could you please be quiet and stop harassing me with your pointless questions?"

She made it a point to zip her lips and throw away the key in sarcasm, watching him roll his eyes and get back to 'business' while she jotted down even more questions that popped into her head.

"Would. It. Be. Possible. To. Ship. Annoying. Partners. Off. To. Other. Countries?"

Haruhi spoke the question aloud as she jotted it down, and Kyoya's head slowly rose back up from the glowing screen of his lap top.

"What was that?"

He asked her slowly, his eye twitching at her smart smile she gave as she tapped her lips and pretended to tug at the invisible 'lock' holding them closed.

"Your cheeky sarcasm is going to get you into trouble if you're not careful," he warned her with a smirk as her smile faltered for a moment at his implications.

"Of course it will," she said, leaning back on the couch and continuing with her notes.

Later on in the evening when the scrap of dress arrived for her to wear to the ballet, she realized the extent of the trouble she'd truly gotten herself into.

"This isn't a dress, it's a loincloth," Haruhi whined as she held it up in the air for Kyoya to see.

The small black slip of a dress was made to stop mid thigh, and the lack of straps did nothing to cover her modesty. The white flowers that bloomed off of the alabaster branches on the corner of the dress were a nice touch, at least for the small amount of material that actually covered any skin.

"It's flashy," Kyoya corrected her with a smirk.

"You'll certainly turn heads, provided you can keep your tongue in check, you might even impress them."

He'd chuckled lightly to himself when she pushed him back into his own room and she kicked the door in anger. Apparently she hadn't noticed the heels that were going to add to the now growing ache in her foot later on.

The game of cat and mouse only continued as they arrived at the ballet and were directed to the center doors that waited down the strip of red carpet. As the crowds of people snapped pictures of the Two Ootori's and Haruhi strolling down the red carpet, Haruhi fought to maintain her balance and Kyoya made a show of taking her by the arm and supporting her, much to the onlookers delight. Haruhi sighed and mumbled about rich bastards until the moment the first dancers took the stage. Than it was her turn to gloat.

Those two hours turned into some of the most unbearable moments of his life. The warmth of the room was sweltering underneath the jacket of his tux and the layers of expensive cloth adorning him, but he'd refrained from getting anything to drink before the show. He'd had to refrain from glaring down at Haruhi as she sipped happily on her water and enjoyed the freedom her short dress now provided her against the heat.

Not only was the heat bothersome, but the ballet was as uninteresting to him as Tamaki's collection of commoner memorabilia he'd gathered around the world. At least then he'd been able to explain to the blonde idiot that 'rabbit ears' for TV's were not a commoners form of misguided fashion and they did not use bubble wrap in place of bubble bath for small children.

Now he was forced to sit silently while his father and Haruhi chatted under their breath about the 'amazing' sets the dancers were putting on.

When Kyoya excused himself to relieve himself, mostly of their company, he realized that his night was able to get much, much worse. When he walked through the restroom door held open by the attendant, he nearly ran in face to face with none other than Isao Ishida who greeted him with a greasy smirk.

"Evening, Kyoya-san. I hadn't taken you to be a fan of the ballet."

It took him a moment to bite back his initial retort, but he managed to swallow it down and smirk back.

"As I understand it there are quite a few things that haven't been brought to your attention. If you'll excuse me, I'd like to return as quickly as possible before _Haruhi_ becomes anxious."

Kyoya was positive Haruhi hadn't even realized he was gone, but seeing the look of surprise slink out onto that narrow face made up for the truth.

"Ah, you brought Fujioka as your date, I suppose. Are the two of you in relations, by any chance?"

'_You mean is the chance of you sinking your greasy little fangs into her possible?' _

"Not at the moment, but she is a very unique and admirable individual and I enjoy her company as she sees fit to grace me with it."

Kyoya had to keep his cool demeanor intact as he bade Isao good night, but when the door finished it's decent into place and stilled, he broke out into a small smile and enjoyed the sweet victory.

He really, really hated Isao Yoshida for all of the problems that man had caused Sudao, and his father, and in short, him, for having to deal with the unsheathed anger sent his way by his father every time Isao defied him.

Returning to their private box proved to him that Haruhi hadn't noticed he'd left at all when she asked him where he'd scampered off to.

"You missed the best part!"

Haruhi whispered tersely, leaning her head over to look Kyoya in the face.

"Oh, did I now? Perhaps you'll have to fill me in on the details later on."

Kyoya whispered back in obvious sarcasm, causing Haruhi to scrunch her nose and turn away, back to Yoshio who seemed near the brink of tears.

'I'm never coming to the ballet again. Ever.'

Kyoya promised to himself silently as his father began to sniffle. Haruhi offered him a handkerchief from her purse and Yoshio nodded in a silent thank you, dabbing at his eyes behind the glasses.

The entire ride home was filled with 'do you remember that part where's' and 'Oh, and wasn't that part great?'. Kyoya swore to himself that he was going to stock every single car with a mini bar the second he got the chance. Finally their ride ended and as they wished his sober father a good night and she trotted behind him into his own room, he allowed himself to express his exasperation.

"You enjoyed my discomfort, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you mean, but I have to thank you for this dress, it was a little warm at the ballet tonight."

She gave him a smile as she removed the heels and rubbed away the deep red lines in her feet. Kyoya shed his tux jacket and shoes as well, loosening his buttons and belt and tossing the loose garments into the garment basket in his closet.

Kyoya had to put her in her place. He was just _itching_ to do so.

He didn't know when he'd become so childish, but allowing her the smug sense of superiority was just too unbearable to him at that moment, and Kyoya swallowed back his last remaining scrap of refinement and began to bait her into his trap.

"I'm beginning to wonder if you've realized how deeply you've fallen into this game you've created."

Kyoya stood above, looking down at her from where she sat on the couch and resisted the smirk when she looked up at him suspiciously.

"Even if I was playing some game, I'm quite sure I'd be able to hold my own regardless of circumstance."

"Be that as it may, your games are going to have to come to a halt sooner or later."

Haruhi shrank back into the sofa as he placed both hands on each side of her and trapped her between the back of the sofa and his revealed chest, leaning down to meet her eyes. Her cheeks ripened at his bold declaration, even though her mind was telling her it was just a hoax it was still embarrassing.

"This isn't really funny, you know. Trying to scare me into giving up isn't exactly winning, either."

"Oh?"

Kyoya questioned her in mock concern, pausing for a moment with his breath hot on her cheek.

"I thought we weren't playing such games. What a sly little fox you are."

The teasing led the way to his lips brushing against the soft blush of her cheek and spreading the tingle throughout her body, causing her to lean away and give him easier access to the bared skin of her neck that she had been forced to hide with a fashionable scarf that he easily untied.

"But, then again,"

The whisper against the sensitive skin on her neck brought a shiver down her spine.

"You've been playing games you couldn't win at for a while now, haven't you?"

Kyoya ghosted his lips lower, hovering above her to keep himself in control.

"What makes you so s-sure," she had to bite her tongue for a moment when he brushed a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind the crook of her ear.

"That I haven't been winning these games?"

The question hung in the air for a moment and Kyoya pondered what she was referring to. Since the warmth had began to spread between them those few weeks ago, they had spoken of their deeper affections in a coded and encrypted manner, always leaving a trail of questions behind. They were too afraid to speak openly about the inner workings of their bodies, because these were foreign waters neither of them had crossed, and the bridge they were crossing was beginning to thin out and become hazardous. One miss step could plunge them into the unforgiving depths and leave them without a lingering hope to survive on.

Kyoya placed a soft kiss on her parted lips, afraid to apply too much pressure when she returned his kiss shyly.

Displaying his fondness for her had soon become second nature to him; what once seemed entirely impossible and out of the question had become an every day necessity. Without contact, it seemed he would burn up.

If she was playing a game, at least it wasn't pointless.

Or boring.

Yoshio remembered something he'd forgotten to address when they had been out that evening, and after he finished dressing for bed, he made his way down the hall toward their bedrooms.

"Ow ow ow, not so rough! You have to rub it gently."

The voices coming through the door continued to argue, and Yoshio couldn't help but arch his brow in question. He brought his hand up to knock, but it was slowed as their conversation continued on.

"My apologies, though last time you didn't seem to mind how rough it felt."

'Are they really…'

Yoshio pondered absently, and thought back to what Haruhi had been wearing.

'It is possible, considering that he is a young man.'

He knew the sudden rush of pride that swelled up inside of his chest was uncalled for, but the thought that his youngest son was giving into his carnal desires for such a delectable young woman brought on the pride in waves. That was his boy in there, he reminded himself. I made him, and now he's-

"Oh dear god."

The thought of more grandchildren was enough to make him go white.

"Yes, but- ahhhaha, that t-tickles! S-stop it!"

"It's not my fault you're so sensitive down here. Calm dow-"

All of his pride was washed away when he slammed the door open and stormed inside.

"Kyoya, remove yourself at… once… oh,"

Kyoya was kneeling on the floor with one eyebrow arched at his father, her marred foot in his hand and a red faced Haruhi attached to it. Clearly, they hadn't been up to whatever Yoshio had been thinking, and he sighed in relief.

"Is there something wrong, father? I can't remember the last time you barged into my room without the decency to knock."

It took Yoshio a moment to remember why he'd been standing outside of his sons' door, but as it popped into his mind, he brought his composure back into place and calmed his racing heart. He really didn't want more grandchildren yet.

"I remembered I had forgotten to inform you that Osada will be coming on Saturday to deliver another letter. He told me to inform you, Haruhi,"

He took a look at the still red girl who had forcibly removed her foot from Kyoya's clutches and sported a cherry red blush from embarrassment,

"That you're entitled to access any and all of the Murakami funds. The will was examined and proven legitimate as were your birth records and identifications. You are, as of now, officially the heiress to Murakami industries and the last living relative in the Murakami bloodline."

It struck her harshly in the chest as it sunk in once again that this was all very real. She tried to smile at the apathetic look Yoshio sported as he said his good nights and left the room, and struggled hard to keep it from cracking. Haruhi lacked the skilled practice that Kyoya retained and she heaved a small dry sob. Her throat began to burn as the air became stuck in her throat and the corners of her eyes peaked with the sting of tears.

'Not now, Haruhi, you knew it was only a matter of time before everything was cleared up. Just breathe.'

Kyoya remained on the floor, unsure of what he should do. The idea of quelling her anxiety was acceptable, but the heat of embarrassment began to flow into his cheeks when he realized he wasn't sure what exactly he could do for her. Vaguely he remembered something that he'd heard Tamaki chattering on about during the days of the Host Club and lightly brushed his finger tips against the smooth white skin of her knuckles.

'_**It never hurts to show a lady how you're feeling every now and again,' **_

_**Tamaki suggested over his steaming cup of commoner coffee. He sweetened his lips with a smile and decidedly ignored the slight roll of his company's eyes. **_

'_**That would suggest that you would be capable of shutting up for more than five seconds at a time, Tamaki.' **_

'_**Kyoya!' **_

The memory brought a kindsmile to his pale lips as he looked up and met her eyes as she cast them down in silent inquiry.

As she looked through her lowered lashes and blinked the tears away, the warmth that was beginning to spread through her fingers brought a thin sliver of a smile to her lips. They quivered in their effort and the fondness that he felt for her began to lull him into the grip of those foreign entities hiding away in the recesses of his heart.

He had once believed these strange, writhing entities would ensnare him in a painful hold if he was ever to submit himself to them; as the delightful tingle in his chest began to brew static in his brain and his lips met the flesh of her knuckles, Kyoya realized that he was wrong yet again.

The pad of his thumb stroked over the skin his lips had met and he turned his chin up to savor the sweet smile in his moment of submission.

"Would it please you to accompany me tomorrow?"

"Id like that."

---

It was strange, staring straight into unguarded and slightly bemused grey eyes that looked down at her.

"Something wrong?"

He asked her in a bored tone, running a quick hand through his raven locks. Haruhi realized she had been staring more than she thought and shook her head, taking a step back and trying to sooth the creeping burn in her cheeks.

"Where are your glasses? I thought you couldn't see anything without them on."

Kyoya smirked slightly, catching on to why she'd been staring so directly at his face. For a moment he thought something had gone horribly wrong from the time he took his last glance in the mirror to the ten second trek back into his bedroom, and he felt childish for worrying so much about it.

"I'm wearing contacts. Does it come as a surprise to you that I own a pair?"

It wasn't that in the slightest. She had never seen him don a pair of contacts over his frames, and hadn't really entertained the thought of him ever considering the prior as a substitute for the famous spectacles.

"I just figured you always wore your glasses, that's all. It's weird seeing you without them."

"Yes, well it would be difficult to participate in sports while wearing glasses so I forego them and make due with these,"

Kyoya tapped his eyes for reference and Haruhi suddenly found the thought of Kyoya playing any type of sport ridiculously inconceivable.

The feeling between them was considerably more mellow than it had been while the sun was out yesterday, and she felt her face flush as his hand brushed against hers when she reached out to grab her coat.

"Oh," She recoiled and clenched her hand to her chest under his amused gaze.

"I'm sorry, go ahead."

Haruhi decided it would be better to chance the cold weather than risk feeling that strong muscle beat right out of her chest.

While Kyoya found it odd that she was beginning to act more like a shy teenager than the usual unabashed Haruhi, he shrugged it off and took advantage of her silence to bury his nose into his work while she played with her thumbs and fiddled with the toggles on her coat. He'd brought it out to the car for her seeing as she had 'forgotten' it herself.

"Is there something on your mind, Haruhi?"

Kyoya asked over the rim of his laptop. Haruhi tried not to jump at the sudden silky intrusion of his voice into her thoughts and took a breath to steady herself.

"Nothing more than the usual these days. You know how it is."

Doubting the truth behind her words, his gaze lingered on her for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders and continued his work. Couldn't kill a guy for trying.

She sat there a moment in silence, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she hypothesized about what was making her act so strangely towards Kyoya. As much as she wanted to deny it, the truth had hit her like a ton of bricks; he'd given her a taste of affection and the look of innocent fondness that her father used to shower her mother with. The smile that had graced the normally stoic lips had graced his eyes and given them a shining warmth she couldn't help but recall. The image behind her eyes wavered for a moment but as it settled, the feeling it had encumbered her in during that moment returned in a wave and butterflies tickled the inside of her stomach with their clumsy wings.

'Mother, did you feel this way when dad looked at you like that?'

One of the clouds parted and allowed the sunshine to brush against the stain of her cheek as if a warm hand had reached down to answer her.

As the car rolled to a stop, Haruhi stopped her brooding and nearly flung herself out of the back of the limousine, ignoring Kyoya's unspoken question and darted into the doors in front of her to be greeted with a newly familiar hallway.

One of the wandering nurses clad in a crisp white uniform approached with a clip board and a paper thin smile to greet her.

"Are you here for your check up, Fujioka-san?"

"She is. Fujioka will be seeing my brother again today, if you don't mind,"

Kyoya said from behind her, and the young nurse barely glanced away from Haruhi when her shoulders went rigid. Check up? Check up for what? A strong hand took hold of her upper arm and guided her through the hallways to an elevator that wasn't being used.

"Would you care to tell me why you're so skittish today?"

He queried after the doors shut. The smile on her face was far too bright to be convincing and she felt her effort deflate a little when his gaze remained steady and clearly unamused.

"Okay,"

She sighed and decided she might as well get it off of her chest.

"My legs are bothering me a little bit but I was trying to keep it to myself so that you wouldn't worry."

Surprise at the lie she just told him nearly made her mouth drop, but she set it firmly and cursed herself for being so stupid. He seemed to believe her and pondered a moment, almost missing the low ding of the elevator and the small jump the floor gave as it settled on the 27th floor.

"It would have been wise to tell me this beforehand. I suppose Itoshi could prescribe you something to extinguish those pains."

Haruhi nodded halfheartedly and looked away meekly, attempting to go on with her fabrication as Kyoya guided her down the hall. Kyoya already had the room number memorized from when he set up her appointment over a week ago. He allowed her to enter in before him and took a seat on the chair.

"Why exactly did you bring me here, anyways?"

Haruhi asked, hopping up onto the hospital bed and swinging her legs over the edge before she realized that people in pain don't gingerly dangle the pained body parts over the edge of a bed and kick them back and forth.

"To make sure the ligaments and muscles in your legs are healing as they should. The accident tore them up much worse than you'd think."

'Believe me, I was there,' he wanted to add, but left it off for the sake of not being sentimental. She was alive, wasn't she? Watching her swinging legs slowly come to a halt reminded him that it was a miracle she was walking at all, and he couldn't help but feel ease seeping into his mind at the thought.

A light tap on the door brought their attention to Itoshi who stood there, brandishing his usual clipboard and easy smile. He seemed to be slightly worn out behind his elegant frames but he didn't let it show as he shook her hand with a firm, steady grip and ruffled his brothers hair, who 'humphed' and crossed his arms in a decidedly childish manner.

"Well now, you're looking much better than the last time you showed up here. Must have been that handsome doctor who took care of you, hmm?"

Itoshi waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively and Haruhi chuckled behind the back of her hand.

He set his clipboard on the side counter and asked her to lie back on the bed, raising it up to accommodate his long limbs and tall nature.

"Does this cause you any discomfort?"

Itoshi asked as he took her calf in his hand and squeezed gently.

"No, the only time my legs seem to bother me is when I've been standing up for too long or I have them in a weird position."

Kyoya sent a coy sideways glance at his brother, one eyebrow still arched and his lips curling in a bemused grin. Kyoya caught the innuendo and nearly flushed red with embarrassment.

"She means when she is sitting down, none of that lecherous garble I'm sure you're imagining."

"Right, right," Itoshi dismissed him languidly, waving his hand at him and turning back to a slightly confused Haruhi.

"Well, " Itoshi began again.

"I'm sure the pain is normal. It's just a part of the healing process sometimes, I'm afraid."

He produced a small pad and a silver pin clipped to it from his pocked and quickly scribbled out a prescription that he handed to Kyoya.

"Hey," she protested,

"I can handle my own prescriptions, you know."

Itoshi only smiled and patted her shoulder, clicking the pen once again and sliding it back into his pocket.

"Yes, I know," Itoshi leaned in toward her ear and whispered softly,

"But let's humor him a bit; he gets cranky if he's treated like a little kid."

Haruhi's chuckle brought Kyoya's eyes from the paper Itoshi had handed him to her, and annoyance sunk in the moment he saw two pairs of amused eyes set towards him.

Pocketing the paper, he chose to ignore the words of advice his brother had scribbled under the prescription that was only legible to those who had been exposed to his atrocious characters.

"_Get Trojan." _

"Oi, Kyoya, you brought a chick?"

One brunette youth asked. He sported a basketball in his hand and a boyish smile on his lips, and was accompanied by numerous other youths. What stood out between those athletic clad boys and the rest of the male population was that they were all exceedingly beautiful.

'Do rich people just pop out beauty or is it a requirement around here that you've got to be pretty in order to have money?'

Haruhi couldn't help but gripe. They all regarded her curiously, giving her odd and unabashed looks as they asked about her.

"Who's the broad?" Another asked.

"This 'broad' had a name, you know, and happens to be standing right in front of you,"

Haruhi seethed, her brow knitting in annoyance. She ignored the other ladies sitting around glass tables and chattering amongst themselves under their breath.

"Whoh, she's got some bite to her. I didn't know you went for the smart mouths."

Kyoya rested his hand on her shoulder lightly, and she looked up at him with an annoyed glare, muttering about how everyone around here was an inconsiderate asshole. He had to bite back the chuckle that threatened to rise up, but he managed to do so as he smirked to the men in front of him. They were business partners, after all.

"This is Haruhi. I asked her to accompany me today. I'm sure your fiancées wouldn't mind entertaining her for a little while?"

Haruhi blinked for a moment, looking from the young men to the still chirping young ladies.

"Aren't you all a little young to be engaged?"

'Even if you are stupid, ignorant assholes,' she wanted to add but stopped herself for the sake of polite conversation. They weren't her friends, after all, and she'd rather not hear it from Kyoya later about all the damage she could do in just one day. She'd already embarrassed him in front of his brother; his friends could wait for another day.

They looked at her again, like she was some foreigner ignorant to everyday life, and she had to admit they wouldn't be far from the truth.

"We're in our twenties, when else would be a good time to get married?"

The blonde boy joked with a spry smile and he turned to wave at the girls, chuckling as a red head waved back shyly.

"They're not getting any younger and neither are we."

It was then that Kyoya squeezed her shoulder to stop her oncoming wave of insults aimed at the stupidity of that line of thought, and instead she bit her tongue and chewed on it as Kyoya guided her toward the side tables.

The gym sported no sign of use; not a scuff mark marred the court nor a fiber out of place of the netting of the basketball hoop. There were no bleachers for onlookers to nest in but instead there were tables for spectators to lounge at and a small café off to the side for court side refreshments.

'Must be a private gym,' she told herself. She hadn't noticed the name of the gym matched her host's surname.

As they approached the smiling and impeccably dressed ladies, Kyoya hosted a small smile and softened his gaze to melt their already quivering hearts. Even though they were taken, he knew that every woman liked to look at the menu and enjoy the delicious courses she hadn't ordered.

"Good afternoon, ladies. I'd like you to meet Haruhi Fujioka. She's the heiress to Murakami industries."

It was expected in high society to introduce yourself and to inform your company of where you stand among the ranks. After all, that was what mattered the most. The girls all smiled and greeted her warmly, guiding her away from the Ootori and sitting her down at one of the tables. Kyoya waved at the wide eyed girl who silently pleaded for him not to leave her in the company of these girls, but he ignored her and turned to re join the laughing boys on the other side of the court.

"It's so nice to meet you! I'm Yolei Arabi, the heiress to Arabi interior designs," the red head introduced. She was a tall, slight girl who hosted bright blue eyes and a friendly smile as she introduced the other girls.

"She's Annette Gingham, and her father is the head of the Albrighton companies in America." One blonde with classy ringlets and smoky brown eyes nodded her head toward the blinking Haruhi and giggled at Haruhi's lack of response.

"You're supposted to say 'nice to meet you' or 'it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance' when you meet someone new, Haruhi-san."

She blinked and open her mouth to respond, but no words came out.

"Oh, sorry, do you not speak Japanese?"

The red head asked, defeating the purpose of even asking in the first place. If she didn't understand Japanese, how would Haruhi know what she was even asking her in the first place?

"Dew youuu speak jah puh nees or engerishu?"

Yolei asked in slow and poorly pronounced English. Haruhi began to grow annoyed and wondered how idiotic rich people really were.

"I clearly speak Japanese, I just didn't know what to say. I'm a little peeved at Kyoya for leaving me with complete strangers, no offence to you, of course."

The girls looked at her, their faces bright with curiosity.

"Is it normal for commoners to leave off honorifics? Oh, that must be so much easier than having to worry about formality all of the time!"

One girl, Corin, sighed and laughed, the other girls agreeing with her eagerly.

"Uh, no, you've got it-" They gave Haruhi no time to explain herself before they sat her down in a chair and assaulted her with one question after another.

"Is it true that everyone shares one bathroom in a commoner home? I don't think I could bear having to bathe with my brother!"

"No, we don't bathe toge-"

Haruhi tried again, but she was again ignored and interrupted.

"And do you really buy everything online because you're too busy to go shopping?"

"Well, sometimes, but not-"

She was swimming in a never ending sea of questions and she had no idea where the life boat was to get out. Haruhi up her hands in front of her as they pressed closer and closer in front of her, and she thought her chair would tip over with their weight.

"Start!"

Suddenly the chatter stopped, and Haruhi watched as all of the girls suddenly went silent and turned their heads toward the squeaks of heels on the sleek court floor and the quick taps of the basketball as it raced down the court.

Haruhi couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief as the girls all padded away to pull up their chairs and watch the boys begin to play, and she thanked God that most girls had extremely short attention spans when it came to cute boys.

"Go Noda! You can do it!" Annette hollered to the brunette that had first approached Haruhi and Kyoya when they entered, and he turned to flash her a smile in return, getting the ball stolen by the blonde.

"Atta boy, Sylus! Way to play!" Yolei cheered, ignoring the annoyed look from Annette. Yolei pushed her glasses up the brim of her nose and clapped happily, turning to smile at Haruhi. All of the girls seemed to have forgotten their once endless abundance of questions they'd had for Haruhi as they regarded their favored men with eagerness, cheering for their team's victory.

"Isn't Sylus just to die for? He's been on the basketball team since middle school and he's been the Juron Academy's top player since his first year."

Haruhi looked to the brunette boy, his face eased into a challenging smirk as he dribbled the ball between his legs and faked out another boy to score a two point shot. Haruhi nodded silently, looking back to Yolei who'd missed his shot.

"He's good, I guess."

Yolei's smile faltered and Annette couldn't help but snigger at her slack jawed friend.

"JUST good?"

She blinked for a moment as though her mind was frozen in shock, and Haruhi counted the seconds she swore went by without the girl so much as moving a single muscle. Not even a hair moved under the constant breeze from the fans over head.

"She has a Sylus complex. I swear, she believes that Sylus is the best at everything he does. If pissing were a contest, she'd swear he-"

"Ahem," Yolei interrupted by clearing her throat, and Annette looked at her with a narrow smirk and whistled innocently.

"I do NOT have a complex. Is it so wrong to think your lover is the best at everything?"

Yolei asked innocently. Haruhi and the other girls chuckled innocently, and Yolei looked at them helplessly, knowing fully that she had it bad for her fiancée.

"He's your fiancé, as long as he appreciates your attention, I believe that's all that really matters," Haruhi told her honestly. Yolei's eyes glittered and she hugged the choking girl into her heaving bosom and squealed in delight.

"Oh you are just to die for, Haruhi-san! No, I'm going to call you Haru-chan because I feel like I know you so well already, okay, Haru-chan!?"

All the mentioned girl could do was give out a muffled 'yes' with the little bit of air left in her lungs. Yolei had an iron grip and a chest that literally took your breath away.

As everyone began to calm down and the girls returned to their respective seats, Haruhi noticed for the first time that everyone had donned jerseys. Half of the boys were wearing fitted red jerseys, including Noda and Osamu, another blonde boy, and the others were wearing blue, namely Sylus and Kyoya. She didn't know when they'd changed or when Kyoya had found the time to change into a pair of black athletic shorts, but for some odd reason she couldn't tear her eyes away from him as he challenged one of the boys who dribbled the ball back and fourth, and her breath hitched as Kyoya reached out like a flash and stole the ball, turning his body to block and rolled around him, racing past toward the other net.

"I'm open!"

Sylus hollered over the racing feet, and Kyoya shot a glance his way before ignoring him and twisting past another attacker, lining up his shot and sinking a two pointer from the left side. The brunette jogged up to him and punched him in the shoulder lightly as he teased him with a smirk.

"Nice shot, ball hog. Let a guy show off in front of his lady a little, ay?"

He nodded his head up at Yolei and gave her a delicious little smirk, laughing under his breath when her face bloomed into a rosy shade of pink. The game began again and Kyoya found himself easily fitting back into his athletic groove. He hadn't been out to play in weeks and he'd missed the intense workout the games gave him. Out of his peripherals he saw Haruhi regarding him from the side lines and he couldn't stop himself from wanting to show off a little. After all, Haruhi was only aware of the academic prowess that Kyoya possessed, as well as his artistic abilities.

She had no idea that he also excelled in athletics, especially now that he had more power and stamina from his long and limber muscles.

Haruhi watched as he continued to play on the court, his skin shining under the lights as small beads of sweat began to form. His face remained calm and confident as he challenged the other boys, most huffing from the lack of breath or sporting rather unattractive facial expressions from being blown by so easily.

As much as she hated to admit, it was… enjoyable as she continued to watch the grace Kyoya moved with as he worked with his team to rack up more points in their favor. Who her eyes seemed to always follow did not go unnoticed by Annette.

"You know, he's never brought another girl here with him before. Kyoya, I mean."

Haruhi looked up to meet knowing eyes as she listened to the girl speak in hushed under tones so as not to attract the other girls attentions. Her effort was rewarded and Yolei hadn't even noticed Annette wasn't paying attention to her banter about Sylus' amazing hand eye coordination skills.

Haruhi took a moment to consider what Annette had told her, and she tried not to feel a little flattered that she was the first girl Kyoya had brought 'to the boys'.

"Oh, is that so?"

She tried to pass off in nonchalance, though the crack in her voice and automatic flush in her cheeks made Annette quirk her eyebrow and smirked in a bout of dry humor.

"Yes, indeed. Kyoya's never been the type of guy to allow women into his personal life, so that tells me that he either is really interested in you, or he doesn't see you as a girl."

"I'd believe the latter,"

Haruhi jested in a slightly bitter tone, though her smile showed her humor.

"I used to pose as a boy when we were in the Host Club together, so it would be understandable if I was one of the boys, so to speak."

'Can't do that now that I'm out of the gender closet,' she thought wryly. Annette's delighted chuckle made her smile, and Haruhi finally began to relax as they eased their way into a conversation regarding the raven haired male.

They made their way through the easier questions like how long Kyoya and Haruhi had known one another, how she became a member of the Host Club, and eventually they wound their way into the story of how Haruhi came to be the Heiress of Murakami industries. It felt good to have a conversation with someone who met her eyes levelly and wasn't prone to exaggerated outbursts as her normal companions were famous for. The other girls listened in from time to time, alternating their attention between the game and Haruhi's stories.

She should have saw the question coming seeing as these girls had never had to worry about being chastised for prying into other peoples personal affairs because they were too young and wealthy to be held to those standards.

Still, she wasn't prepared when one of the girls, an innocent looking brunette, looked at her and asked,

"So how long have you and Kyoya-san been an item?"

All of the tact she had attributed to the wealthy that night at the dinner party was washed down the drain, and she felt her color rising to her cheeks.

'How could they possibly know about any of that?! Oh no, are my marks showing?'

Haruhi remembered that she had successfully hidden them behind the creamy layers of make up and she had kept her scarf on as they entered the gym.

'No that can't be it, they don't have ex ray vision! Damnit, what am I s'posted to say to them now?!'

Haruhi panicked as their faces loomed in closer, waiting for her answer.

"You girls wouldn't happen to be heckling my guest for information now, would you?"

Said a bemused voice from behind her. She lifted her chin and was relieved to see a smirking and slightly sweating Kyoya standing above her with his hand on the back of her chair. He'd come just in time.

"Oh, but we just wanted to know if you and Haru-chan are,"

She paused as a delicate flush painted her cheeks and her tact returned in the presence of the boy,

"Having personal relations."

Kyoya chuckled and took a swig from his half empty water bottle, setting it on the table before answering.

"Well, I'm certain that 'Haru-chan' would love to answer your question, Maryanne."

They all looked expectantly down at the wide eyed brunette who had been thrown to the wolves. She vowed that Kyoya would pay dearly for putting her in this situation the moment they were out of ear shot from anyone who could hear him scream.

"O-of course not, Kyoya is just helping me sort out the business with my great grandfathers company. Right, Kyoya?"

She turned her head and shot one of the deadliest glares she'd ever given in her life, and he could feel the needles of ice jabbing through his chest.

"Anything you say, Haruhi," he answered with a smirk and patted her head, turning after nodding to the ladies and heading out of the open doors where the other boys were filing out.

"Are you going to come and watch the tennis matches with us, Haru-chan?"

Maryanne asked, dropping the prior subject.

"Didn't they just finish up with basket ball, though?"

Haruhi asked, trying to leave out the still bitter edge in her voice.

"They always play basket ball and tennis. Sometimes they play soccer as well, but most of those boys aren't here so that's a no go today,"

Yolei explained as she pulled Haruhi up from her seat and lead her out of the opened doors. Haruhi gave a nod to the servants holding the doors open and allowed herself to be pulled down the paved trail lined with well trimmed hedges; the green life was sustained by the glass dome she had failed to notice on her way in.

Her hair blew lightly at the artificial breeze from above and she enjoyed the warmth that was a change from the chilly November air. As they took their seats at tables similar to the ones inside of the gym, Haruhi noticed that Kyoya had stepped onto the court and snorted.

"Since when can Kyoya play Tennis? I just now learned he was able to play sports at all."

Annette patted her shoulder and clicked her tongue in pity. Haruhi really didn't know much about Kyoya.

"Kyoya was the junior champion. He came in third place at the Junior World Championships a year or so ago. It was all over the news."

"Well isn't he just full of surprises now-a-days?" She muttered sarcastically, glaring at him as he smirked at her from across the court as if he knew his secret was out.

How many tidbits of information could possibly be left for her to learn? She'd already discovered that he was human, which was an astounding feat. Than she learned that he had a rare gift in painting. Now she was to believe that he was a Tennis champion?

'This is unbelievable. How the hell did I miss all of this stuff before?'

That was a simple enough question for her to answer. It had never really struck her that there could ever be a world outside of business in Kyoya's life. She felt foolish for assuming he was a two dimensional person.

Kyoya removed the racket from the black carrying case he always left here at the gym; he had a small collection all to himself at home, so there was no need to carry a racket back and fourth. Yamei stepped up to the court, checking the back of his shoe and sending a small wave in Kyoya's direction, which he returned with a challenging smirk.

"You ready for this, Kyoya? You're a little rusty with old age,"

Yamei jested and a few of the boys chuckled. Kyoya flicked his bangs from his eyes and met his challengers gaze with cool, indifferent confidence and nodded, taking one of the balls in his pocket and bouncing it on the court.

"I don't place myself in a position where loosing is an option, Yamei. You should know that."

Yamei nodded and removed a tennis ball from his pocket, bouncing it a few times for good measure. After a cue from the ref, he tossed the ball and slammed it across the net, aiming for the left corner. Kyoya took off in a shot and met the ball with his racket, barely making it over the net as it bounced off to the side.

"15 love", the ref called out, playing in Kyoya's favor.

Haruhi blinked.

"Okay,"

She looked at Annette,

"I believe you. He's good."

She smirked and continued watching the ongoing match between Kyoya and Yamei, casting sidelong glances at Haruhi every now and again. Throughout all three sets, Haruhi watched the exchanges across the net, feeling the tension in her chest grow as each won one set and the third set continued on with Yamei slightly in the lead.

"Hit the damn ball," she muttered under her breath, and leaned forward to watch closely as Yamei served once again.

"Come on," she urged, holding her breath as Kyoya met the ball with practiced agility and lobbied it back when Yamei tapped it over the net. Kyoya met it just in time, raising it right back over the net to an unsuspecting Yamei who swung and missed.

"Set match. Winner, Kyoya Ootori."

The breath rushed back into her, and Haruhi rose from her chair and clapped with the rest of the ladies, smiling at his victory.

__

Life was once again slowly beginning to revolve back into place. Haruhi knew that on the inside she happy, relieved even, that everything was slowly dragging her back into her comfort zone, but there was one thought that scared her;

Would she be able to drag all of the feelings she's developed with her? It made her feel warm as she thought about the man sitting across from her, and her navel began to tingle lightly at the small pricks of tingles floating around her stomach.

Her liquid caramel eyes set their sights out of the window, and as the window began to fog from her slow breaths, the reflection she saw began to overflow.

Kyoya looked to the lady in front of him, dressed smartly in warm clothing who looked anything but cozy. She shook lightly with her head turned away from him and her eyes were filling to the brim with clear tears that began to streak down her rosy cheeks. The assurances that he wanted to spill forth to her burned on their way up and etched their words into the walls of his throat, not allowing him to speak.

He didn't quite understand what was bothering the girl to the point where she began to cry; her father was out of harm now, she was back in her classes and everything was slowly beginning to turn in her favor.

Did she not understand the tremendous stroke of luck she seemed to stumble upon? Was she not thankful that everything was beginning to work out?

Again, he was struck with the thought that he still did not understand her the way he wanted to. He would possibly never understand her, the way he kept his lips shut tight in an effort to seal away the truth he was slowly coming to realize.

As her tears continued to ebb from the horizon of her eyes and flush the pale flesh of her cheek, he felt his own cheeks burning, though this feeling was not entirely foreign.

Kyoya was angry, with himself. He was angry for all of the feelings he had been unable to surpass and resist; livid that after all this time she was not the equivalent of one of the open books she used to stock onto the shelves each day. Sitting there, watching her wipe away her rare tears with the back of her sleeve made him realize that he was not sure if he was annoyed because he couldn't completely understand her or if it was because he wanted nothing more than to learn what dwelled behind those liquid recesses that drew him into their warmth.

In short, he didn't know if he wanted to murder or molest her.

The skin between his eyes wrinkled slightly as he knitted his brow and heaved a morose sigh. Things only became more complicated when it came to her, and her kind in general, it seemed.

'Women,' he grunted. 'Still more trouble than they're worth.'

As Kyoya clicked his teeth and turned to ignore the sight in front of him, Haruhi let out a low whimper, and his heart suddenly collapsed in on itself. The pain was so sharp and intense Kyoya had to grip his chest and cringe slightly as it shuddered throughout his entire torso.

'Damnit, all she did was sigh and I feel guilty for what, not being Mr. Knight in shining armor?'

"What could you possibly be crying about?"

He asked in annoyance as he rested his elbow on the armrest and cradled his cheek in the crook of his hand. Steadily she blinked, and a slow, almost cautious smile ebbed at the corners of her lips.

"I'm not quite sure, I know I should be happy but I'm … I'm… I don't quite know, really. I just can't seem to s-stop crying no matter what I tell myself."

Kyoya paused to think about what she said fro a brief moment.

"What were you thinking about when you first started crying, then?"

The answer made her shiver lightly, and she her arms around herself in a futile attempt to keep the truth from spilling out.

The last thing she wanted was for him to know that she was crying because of him.

"Just, everything. Nothing in particular. I guess everything is finally starting to get to me, or maybe it's just the pills."

She continued to weep her pretty tears, and the beat in his chest fell into cue, the pang echoing in his chest to keep in pace with the uneven breaths he took. The words that were stuck in his throat begin to wash up and flowed out before he could stop them.

"DO you have any idea how frustrating it is to see you crying and be able to do absolutely nothing about it due to your stubbornness to discuss what's troubling you?"

Kyoya felt stupid. Moronic, even, for allowing that testimony of his ignorance to slip out past his guards and into the ears of a now still Haruhi. She turned her head to look at him with those crystalline tears dripping against the flushed skin of her cheek and she looked hurt. In all honesty, crying was the last thing she had wanted to resort to, but her strength was fading and her resolve was beginning to crumble.

"I'm just so worried that I'll be faced with a trade off at the end of all of this… rubbish."

It was as close to the truth as she was willing to admit, and Kyoya knew she wasn't feeding him the entire truth. The nibbles she placed around her becoming too sparse to keep Kyoya content, and he fought to control the flashes of emotions. Both of them were being forced to face far too many grueling truths in much too little time. He stilled the ripples still remaining in his chest as her tears slowed and steeled his resolve as the tires grinded on the gravel leading to the mansion.

He led the way into the open doors and chose to ignore the greetings that passed by him on his way up the stairs and to his room, and he tugged on Haruhi's wrist before she had a chance to make it to her own door, pulling her in with him and closing the door. With her back pressed lightly against the fine grain wood, she looked up into the ashen depths of Kyoya's unprotected eyes and realized that he was vulnerable without the protection of those spectacles.

If he did not wear them, their restriction on his formality began to ebb away and the control he'd placed in them had no reign over his actions. She thought it queer to attribute such dominant qualities to a simple pair of glasses, but as those eyes neared hers and those smooth palms took residence on either side of her head, she knew that as strange as the personification was, she was right.

"Your worries are contagious, Haruhi. I find myself wondering what I will end up loosing if your sudden burst of luck continues to play in your favor."

Haruhi watched his lips move gently as he spoke with a guarded tone, and she worried her bottom lip when his lips parted as he waited for her reply. It suddenly struck her that she had been standing in worshiping silence, and her brain suddenly snapped to attention as it tried to formulate some kind of response.

"What exactly do you have to loose? If I agree to your father's offer, than you get what you wanted from the beginning if he lets you run the business."

The steeled resolve he once believed to be impassible began to rust, his structured interior crumpling from the blunt force her words had. She really still believed that she stood in front of Kyoya as a mere merit to be achieved after a flurry of kisses and light caresses, didn't she?

"Do you think so lowly of me that you believe my intentions to be so two dimensional? I assure you I'm more than capable of understanding past the limits of what I attain from business related merits, but from your lack of faith I find your ignorance insulting."

They paused to breathe, his eyes still boring half steeled holes into her own liquid depths. If she began crying again, he hoped he would be able to resist backing down.

"What is it you hope to return to once all of this has finally settled down?"

His question hung in the air, and as ignorant as Haruhi was to romantic innuendos, she understood that her next choice of words would impact that which she lost and what she was able to retain if she was granted her old life back once again.

Stubbornness took over her tongue, and without being able to stop herself she blurted out the one thing she knew she should have never said.

"The only thing I want is my old life back and everything to return to normal again."

The sudden twang in his heart told him that this wasn't what he wanted to hear. She knew when his eyes widened slightly and his mouth set into a grim line that she had said something wrong, but she didn't have the heart to try and retract her statement when his features reset into a small glare and he removed himself from her immediate presence, casting his gaze down toward the floor.

'Of course that is what she would want, she isn't meant for this kind of life.'

"But,"

She took a step forward and lightly pressed a tentative hand against his cheek, refusing to remove it as his glare bit into her and she felt a wave of pain ride through her body,

"I'm scared that you would not want to be included in what I have defined as a normal life, because as far as I'm concerned you've become an irreplaceable person to me and…"

The strength to continue looking him in the eyes began to fail and her gaze downward,

"and I'm not really sure what else,"

Haruhi rambled on, and in this whirlwind he felt himself caught in, he found the strength to plant his feet on calm, steady ground to think about what she had admitted.

She WANTED him in her life, the part that she regarded as normal and irreplaceable. The smile that he struggled to bite back won the battle and twitched the corner of his lips upward in something less of a smirk and more of an amused grin, and she paused in her ramble to blink at the strange sight.

"In other words, you're afraid of loosing the stability you've managed to recreate?"

He sought an answer any way he could; he wanted to hear her say it ant any and all costs. Her brow knitted as she considered what Kyoya said and shook her head.

Kyoya tried again,

"Than what is it about me that you're worried about loosing?"

The smirk that was brimming on the inside stayed behind his lips as her wide caramel eyes peeked up at him and her cheeks flushed their pretty pink stain of embarrassment.

"This is really awkward, you know. I'm not good at admitting these sorts of things."

"You just admitted that there is something you are holding in," he reasoned slyly,

"you might as well let it out now."

If he could hear it once, just once, he would-

"You've become an irreplaceable person to me, and I don't think anyone else could stand where you do."

The room ran cold. Silence crept up upon them and settled down on Haruhi's tense shoulders as she reddened and waited for a response. The blood in her veins prickled as it ran throughout her body and suddenly her legs felt as weak as her brain and she began to tumble forwards, into Kyoya's prepared arms. Resisting looking up was difficult for her, but she kept her eyes glued to the floor in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I-"

"Haruhi,"

Kyoya interrupted, and she froze yet again, victim to the raging beat in her chest.

The pad of his finger lifted her chin up as his other arm held her closely.

"I don't' want more apologies if you're true to your word."

The grey in his eyes played with the light, dancing around the black vortex in the middle and drawing her inward.

"I'm fairly sure I do mean it."

In a moment, her head met the palm of his hand as he pressed her against the door and took her lips with his own. He kissed her with half lidded eyes that watched her cheeks ripen and her small hands grasp his still chilled winter coat for support as her strength left her once again and her legs became limp.

"Those pills must work well," he teased, lowering the hand behind her head to the dip of her waist. Even through the layers of clothing, Haruhi still shivered at his touch.

"Y-yeah, the pills." She managed to spill out before he claimed her lips once again in a flurry of heated kisses.

A slew of kisses later, and Haruhi forced herself to pull back and breathe slowly to still her raging heart.

"You're a jerk,"

She muttered between kisses, and Kyoya paused for a moment to regard her curiously.

"Am I now?"

The lips that trailed down her chilled neck sent static into her brain and for a moment she forgot herself and her modesty, tightening the grip she had on the sleeve of his shirt.

"Yeah. You make me say stupid things and never say any in return. That's cheap."

There was a pause in his movements, and Haruhi couldn't help but smirk and meet the eyes that had looked up to meet hers.

"Perhaps you should learn to listen with more than your ears, Haruhi,"

He nipped her ear lobe lightly and chuckled at her whimper,

"Instead of accusing me of frugality."

With a sigh, Haruhi gave in and muttered about stupidity, lacing her fingers into the silky raven locks right above the lips that created new love bites on her fair skin.

"Maybe you should take your own advice and stop persisting I verbalize my feelings, if I'm supposted to be so keen to yours."

"I'll agree to that,"

Kyoya murmured, claiming her rosy lips to hide a smile.

---

**Hmm, oh my, some smut, perhaps? lol. **

**What do you think will happen next? **

**This was a bit of a lax chapter; no bombing or potential deaths. Maybe the story is taking a turn in the light, maybe not. **

**Maybe Haruhi's gonna get laid? lol. **

**Doubtful. **

**Read, review, respond, all of that goodness that I love so much. **

**=DDD **

**With love, **

**Caitlin. **


	12. Credo ut Intelligam

Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club was not created by moi.

**Credo ut intelligam** - _I believe in order that I may understand.  
_

It was common knowledge that cops worked long hours without rest living in a busy city. Osada was as accustomed to the stacks of papers on his desk as any other Police Chief, but the case he was currently working on had his brain swollen into knots that no amount of aspirin could fix. Misaki Yoroshima's grand escape left everyone at the precinct stumped. None of the times where Misaki was out of his cell added up to the time where he could have escaped, and there was no evidence anywhere that led them to believe that it was an outside job.

Osada had spent days holed up in his office in an attempt to crack the case but he just couldn't find a probable lead. On top of that, he had to deliver the next letter given to him by Sudao soon. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was 3:09a.m, officially Friday. Saturday was the determined drop off date, and the letter was sure to leave his phone buzzing the moment he departed.

He only hoped that he'd have one less problem to worry about by the time the last letter was to be delivered.

Haruhi could feel the heat from the open blinds warming the blanket over top of her head, but she chose to ignore it, rolling over into the cooler vacated spot that was Kyoya's usual place. Her feet rubbed together in a nervous tick she had developed as a child when she was laying in bed with something eating at her mind.

The hushed drone of Kyoya's voice filtered in through the silk and cotton barricading her from her sleep and the awaiting moment she'd have to step back into her uniform and her school life. This was what she had wanted, and sure enough she still did, but she couldn't help the drain the apprehension placed in her enthusiasm. Indeed, as the voice approached up the steps, the damper on her enthusiasm grew larger and caused her to pull the blankets tighter around her and lay as limp as possible in the blind hope that he wouldn't notice her lying there.

"Right… I understand… Yes, Kaoru, I'll make sure."

Haruhi heard his phone snap shut and the shifting of linen as he placed it back into his pocket. It wasn't a question as to who he'd just been talking to, and it added a further chink into her rapidly fading resolve. It seemed that the farther the sun rose into the sky and over her covered head, the more it dissolved the cool strength that propped her up for today. She blamed the Ootori blood once again. They seemed to prefer to operate from the shadows, and now it seemed she was beginning to take that trait into her own personality from the Ootori blood flowing through her veins.

"Haruhi,"

her nose twitched at his beckon.

"It's time to wake up."

Kyoya smirked at her muffled whine and the sleepy eyed stubbornness he was faced with under the messy mop of chocolate locks, but he whipped the blanket down further none the less. The sight of her exposed thighs in the sliver of sunlight caught his attention for a moment, and for the briefest of seconds he praised himself for selecting the gold colored night slip she had donned last night; it left nothing to the imagination.

But, Kyoya was a disciplined soul, and he blinked twice before regaining his composure and looking back to the girl clutching the pillow and trying her best to pull up his half of the blankets to envelop herself in. Watching her disappear beneath the downy white comforter broadened his smirk slightly for a moment and he pushed his glasses back onto his nose before shaking the tiny lump in the middle of his bed.

"The longer you procrastinate, the better chance there is for Hikaru and Kaoru to have you dawn the girls uniform. It would be in your best interest if you were already dressed by the time that they arrived."

Haruhi heeded his words for a moment, and she didn't put it past the twins to do just that.

'Why does he always have to be right?'

She asked herself dully, slinging off the blankets and rubbing her eyes tiredly. In the midst of the brief annoyance, her panic ebbed away slowly, and for that she was grateful. It seemed like such a childish thing, to be so worried over what they would say to her upon her return, but she couldn't help but be worried that it would negatively impact her friends, and, in return, the Host Club. The boys in there worked hard to keep their customers happy, and to have it ruined because of her would be one blow to her conscience she wasn't sure she would be able to handle.

'I'll face that if it comes,' she told herself sharply. 'Until then, worrying about it will only make things harder. I have to focus on what matters.'

Haruhi was so used to sleeping in Kyoya's quarters that she had moved a good deal of her possessions in with her, and she descended the stairs under the bemused watch of Kyoya and fumbled through her bag to find her uniform.

Kyoya watched as she closed the bathroom door behind her and chuckled lightly in response.

"You never cease to surprise me, Haruhi,"

He murmured to himself before he moved over to his laptop and resumed his daily paperwork. Something about the thought of her trusting manner made his work flow much more smoothly than it would at six in the morning.

The warm spray didn't seem to do as much harm as the sunlight, and if fell over her slight frame and into the drain at her feet. It did little, however, to fill in the gaps in her resistance and resolve. For what seemed the millionth time, she was grateful for luxury and the numerous shower heads overhead that allowed for the steam to carry the rich scent of the soap she'd borrowed from Kyoya. Any little sense of familiarity provided the proverbial security blanket.

Haruhi chided herself for being so childishly sentimental. She wasn't nearly this weak or in need of someone to help her stand up and face her own problems.

'Though it does help,' she thought in the back of her mind.

She couldn't help the fact that she wished that the original Host Club members were still attending Ouran; even though they provided constant nuisances in her life, they were also quick to catch her and support her through insurities she faced, and this was definitely one time that their presence would be appreciated.

As it stood, she still had Kyoya and the twins at hand, but for all he was worth, Tamaki was a natural at easing any insecurities with his easy going humor and childish antics. The smile that tugged at her lips was proof that even memories could do more to calm her than she herself could.

Although the shower had at first seemed too spacious, now she enjoyed the space to freely pace and wander amidst the steam; she finally understood why the financially endowed enjoyed spending hours in the bathroom as they prepared for their day and cleansed themselves from it. It was a pity that she had to turn off the spray and reach for the towel she had hung on the rack behind the built in stone bench, and she slowly toweled the remaining droplets of water from her limbs and hair. Haruhi was thankful that the steam had heated the bathroom to a pleasurable temperature, keeping the chills as she stepped out of the glass door at bay.

Dressing gave her the slight comfort of familiarity that she had sought after endlessly, but the soft fabric of her undershirt didn't ease the nerves swirling in her chest. The slight shake of her fingers gave away her unease as she buttoned her blazer and finished drying her damp hair. She was glad that the collar of her blazer hid the soft pink remains of her love bites, and she was thankful that make up was not a necessity this morning; she didn't trust herself to stay her hand long enough to conceal it fully.

"It's almost time to depart. Are you nearly ready?"

From behind the door, Kyoya had tried to keep himself busy. Hearing the light crash of water as her body shifted through it was more unnerving than the pile of work that remained neglected on his desk. It was becoming increasingly difficult each day to keep his mind from wandering to his small brunette companion. Her smile drifted behind his half lidded eyes that stared dully at the closed door.

The lock was not set… and yet, it stayed his hand because of the trust that held it shut. Haruhi trusted him with her privacy. Granted, he had taken care to rid her of one lock already, but now that the luxury of a lock presented itself, she chose to let it slip past unnoticed.

It stayed with him, even as he called out to alert her of the little time she had remaining, and the two caramel eyes that peeked out made the feeling spread through his chest and tingle through his muscles.

"As ready as you can be for something like this."

Getting herself to the other side of the room and picking up her bag was simple enough. She kept her anxious eyes downcast in the hopes that Kyoya wouldn't notice her apprehension. Haruhi already looked weak enough as it was; there was no need to ruin her lingering reputation any more.

Kyoya blinked slowly as her words ran through his head. 'Something like this…' He hadn't been in his right mind the moment she said those words, and the images that they provoked didn't help to ease the tingle through out his limbs. Haruhi looked up at him, running a hand through her bangs as she sighed and pouted.

She wanted to talk about her anxiety, but she was scared to look weak in front of Kyoya. He'd already seen so much of her weakness and the fear that something this simple would irritate him caused her to worry her lower lip as their eyes met.

The feeling that passed between them overpowered the light tingles in his limbs and it became a shiver as her eyes seemed to ripple beneath their caramel surface.

It might have been the fact that she hadn't gotten much sleep last night because she was worrying so much about today, but Haruhi felt an easy calm settle around her and the anxiety eased away.

He heard the ticking of the clock beating in unison with his heart beat, and as she smiled at him, it picked up speed and surpassed the seconds that seemed to slow down. He swallowed a curse in frustration and nodded, diverting his gaze toward the door. In accordance, two uniformed bodies burst through and their smiles alleviated the two toned mood in an instant as they both breathed.

"Haruhi!"

Their smiles were contagious and she found a smile pulling the pouted lips into a fond grin as they enveloped her into their arms.

"Good morning," Kyoya greeted politely, and blinked at the loud responses from the twins as they fluffed Haruhi's hair and straightened out her lapels.

"Morning, Kyoya-senpai!"

Haruhi arched her eyebrow at Kyoya at the honorific, causing him to smirk as he caught onto her inside joke.

"Yes, Senpai, good morning. I'll see you later," Haruhi picked up her bag and waved, catching his eye one last time before she exited with the twins and shut the door behind her.

Kyoya felt the smirk fading into a small smile, the slow tingle growing warm as it neared his torso and faded into his chest. As he resumed his work, he found that he did not feel as alone as he thought that he would. He was well aware that he had grown far too used to Haruhi's company, and having absolutely no contact with her for the better part of the day had been an issue he had been brooding over for the last few days. As he sat at his desk and stared at the tabbed documents, he didn't feel a dire need to run after her and refuse to let her return to school.

He felt calm, and he felt relieved.

Becoming one of those stereotypical romantics was not on his aspirations list, and the thought made him slightly nauseous. To have no control or restraint over yourself when it came to your partner was absolutely ridiculous in his opinion, and undignified.

To know that he could thrive while she was away was a well needed reassurance that he wasn't another victim of hopeless infatuation, and helped Kyoya to easily sort out his disregarded feelings.

As he 'tak'ed away on his laptop, he sorted the files in his mind under the label 'Haruhi' and didn't notice the hours flying by.

Hikaru and Kyoya had rambled on and on about the Host Club activities she had missed out on during the short drive to Ouran, and she had nodded along with their conversation and clutched her bag in her lap.

It wasn't that she didn't want to hear about how much a hit their different events had been, Haruhi just couldn't force herself to focus on anything other than how much she didn't want to answer all of the questions that waited inside the Academy grounds.

Her face was pensive and withdrawn as she continued nodding absently and looking down at her bag, and Hikaru and Kaoru regarded one another with a look of concern.

"You know, Haruhi," Hikaru drawled seductively as he scooted closer to Haruhi on the leather seat.

"If you continue looking so utterly cute, we might just continue driving around all day," Kaoru rapped his arm around her shoulders loosely when he came to sit on her other side, and she regarded both of them with her doe-eyed innocence.

"And never let you leave," they finished in a sensual duet.

Over the years, she had come to understand the boys better than she had ever hoped to understand another person. Beneath their childish antics beat two individual hearts and beneath one face two different people harbored their own ambitions. Hikaru showed his concern through the smoldering amber eyes that roamed the planes of her face. Kaoru's offer of comfort wasn't through his words, but through the warmth his tight embrace brought. Both had their own emotions, their own body language, and their own place in her heart.

As the driver parked at the stairs of Ouran Academy, they read her own body language through her warm smile and read "I need you."

Hikaru and Kaoru never left her side.

Super short, but I have my reasons. I'm a Senior in High School, just got done with FIVE AP tests. Count 'em, FIVE. That's incredibly difficult. I've been doing NOTHING but school work, sleeping, and studying. I still have TWO projects in my AP class worth buku points, (like, 200) and I've been making sure that all of my scholarship and college dealings are sorted out properly.

Being a Senior REALLY bites. I didn't even get to go to Harry Potter Land on my Senior trip, which was HORRID because it started eight hours off schedule and we didn't get to go to Blizzard Beach, but I WAS FRONT ROW FOR AN ALL TIME LOW CONCERT! WOOOO! GRAD NIGHT FTW!

Anyways, not that might life is ALMOST, ALMOST back to being evenly paced, I can pick my writing back up again. I've been the victim of an insufferable writers block. I would pull up this document, put my fingers on the keys, and all of my ideas would be repelled by some kind of mental magnet and would be rejected by my fingers. They just wouldn't flow.

I'm TERRIBLY upset with his chapter; it's horrid, it's not my usual standard, but it'll do, because I feel AWFUL for leaving you guys hanging for so long…

I also have to go and fix my numerous grammatical errors, because I HAVE been re-reading my work and DO know it's there, I've just previously been to lazy to do anything about it. So, bear with me for the last three weeks or so of my high school career, and lets hope that I get all of my work done on time so that I don't fuck up my grades, hmm?

Review, Review, Review, and let me know you still love me even though I'm a god awful updater.

X3

I'll be sending out messages by Friday to all of my reviewers who reviewed previously to let them know I'm alive, so if you're one of 'em, lemme know so I don't spend five minutes writing you a message with info you're well aware of, mmkay?

J'taime.


	13. Stercus accidit

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I congratulate Bisco Hatori and thank Gaia that she was allotted the necessary amount of pages to include Kyoya into her manga, and in return, the anime. Fifty pages for the win!

**Salut. This chapter was a long time coming, but I'm sure that you'll enjoy the next one thoroughly. **

**Stercus accidit** - _Shit happens_

~v~

It was early morning yet again as Tamaki forced himself out of bed. His hand lingered over the pale fingers laced into his hair before kissing them and laying them to rest on the slowly breathing chest beside him. His breath didn't come easily as he headed into the bathroom, remembering the day when he saw the stubble on his chin and the limp curl in his hair; he had no one to impress today, but his daughter did.

It was her first day back to school, and his heart continuously skipped the beat his foot was tapping out to try and keep time. It was a nervous tick he had developed to try and contain himself from his sporadic outbursts, and as his heart decelerated and his breathing calmed, the shake in his hands ceased and his toothbrush was no longer a threat. Tamaki cleaned his teeth and showered. Never mind the toothpaste that made it into his eye along with the mint shampoo, he ignored the burn in favor of the moody water heater that ripened his skin to well done.

He was surprised to find Naoki sound asleep as he stumbled out of the bathroom to change into a fresh pair of clothes before taking the dogs out for a walk to clear his mind. The air soothed his still pink cheeks and Antoinette and Charlie walked calmly alongside one another in front of him. They enjoyed the morning walk while Tamaki paid for breakfast and returned to the apartment, allowing him to survive the hot coffee and bags of Naoki's favorite breakfast foods. He watched as they padded back over to their beds in the open living room and sorted out the food. They'd prefer to eat later. Tamaki took a pause and looked out over to the lump in the bed from the counter, for the millionth time appreciating the completely open floor plan of Naokis apartment.

At first, Tamaki had been uncomfortable with the connection between the small kitchen, living area, and bedroom, but he couldn't deny the convenience it provided. Watching Naoki's every move as he walked about the apartment had become Tamaki's favorite pastime; the way he ran his hand over the railed half wall separating the kitchen and the living area, how he padded down the two steps to the lowered floor of the sleeping area all showed how human Naoki was outside of his magazine shots. The brick wall behind the bed held sweet secrets that burned behind his eyes as he set the plates on the small circular corner table. He'd spent most of his free time here in this little apartment, and with an outwardly reluctant Naoki.  
"Only because of Charlie," Naoki had insisted after allowing Tamaki to stay the first few nights. "And Antoinette, since she needs one human with a level head around her."  
That had been the beginning of many a long night spent weaving memories into every orifice of the living space. He smiled when Naoki grunted in his sleep, a sleepy and warm tenor that drew him towards the bed and out of his clothes yet again. Tamaki sat beside the groggy boy as his eyelids fluttered open and the crystal grey cleared from the fog to focus on him and his calm smile.

"Mornin'" Naoki slurred out as he rubbed his face with one hand and stretched beneath the sheets, enjoying the feel of the cotton against his naked limbs. The limber shifts of the sheets drew Tamaki's attention and he ran a deft hand over the creases and curves to the shiver of the boy's shoulders, and told him that he'd picked up breakfast; Naoki could smell the blackberry jam and warm croissants over the mint shampoo and spicy musk that roused him ever more from sleep.

"Fuckin' King," he muttered before sitting up and nuzzling into the lightly tanned neck to breathe it in deeper. The flutter of his eyelashes and the demure pose of submission begged Tamaki to hold him, and he could hardly refuse as the boy snuggled further into his arms and kissed a trail to his lobe.

"Is everything alright?" Naoki breathed into his ear. His whisper reached his brain past the fuzzy film Naoki's touch was creating.

He sighed when his lips fit smoothly into the groove of the pink pout below him, and pressed the boy flush against him, enjoying the feel of the cotton sheets and his thin undergarments mingling between them when Naoki's body reacted.

"When my attentions are souly on you, everything is perfect."  
He tried to bite back the affectionate smile when Naoki looked at him dully, the blush appearing on his fair skin from the compliment, but Naoki drew away and sat back down on the bed to regard him levelly.

"Then focus your attentions on the damn chair and tell me what's bugging you, already."

For the hundredth time, Naoki listened to Tamaki's lecture on Haruhi's well being and the strain it put on her to return to Ouran under such undesirable conditions- Naoki's hand grabbed onto the waving arm and yanked him on top of the bed, into his lap where he could hold him tightly to his chest to cease his raving.

"I know all of that, Tamaki. I know you're worried about Haruhi, and I also know that you trust both of them to make responsible decisions. So why can't you trust them to make the right decisions _together?" _

Tamaki's lips brushed against the taut skin of his chest, making him shiver as he quietly replied.

"I do trust them, more that I let on. That doesn't make it any easier to… to-"

The soft pads of Naoki's fingers stilled his words, and invited his tongue to envelop them into his warm mouth as he ran his own fingers along Naoki's defined spine. Naoki took a moment to pause, and allowed the distraction to brush the golden strands between his fingers before he continued.

"to let them be together? If there is one thing I've learned about Kyoya Ootori, it is that he never commits to anything he is uncertain of. That goes for both Haruhi and her continuation at Ouran. All you can do is have faith in both of them, and support their choices as best you can. I'm…"  
He sucked in air through his teeth as Tamaki's fingers dipped lower and his tongue swirled around his fingertips.

"always here when you need me, like right now. I'm sure that's a mutual feeling at the moment, though."

An agreement was hummed as both bodies joined together underneath the covers and breakfast was left to cool on the table.

~v~

Had he gotten so much work done in the morning before? He couldn't remember feeling so languid in the noon time of a business day as he did that moment, having no spreadsheets to assemble or partners to attend to. Kyoya would have said that he was beginning to relax, only his phone rang and the voice on the other end shattered his newly found peace.

"Kyoyaaaaa~ Oh Mother, how is our darling daughter? Is she alright? Did she remember to bring all of her books? Why didn't she call Father, who's so worried-"

"Tamaki," Kyoya ground out through his teeth, silencing the high pitched whine on the other end.

"Shut up and get to the point of why you called before I end this call and change my number."

Kyoya smirked at the gasp on the other side and the sniffle before the blonde idiot answered,  
"Would you really? Oh Mother, I only called to see how our darling is doing on her first day back to school!"

A sigh attempted to force its way out of his mouth, but his will bid it to cease its struggle as he prepared his response.

_~v~ _

Haruhi moved along the halls, well aware of those eyes trailing every flick of her bangs and twitch of her fingers. Since she'd set foot outside of the limousine, her eyes had been downcast and her concentration was souly on her feet as they followed the plush carpet up the stairs. The steps she took were slow and controlled as the twins strolled easily beside her, allowing the other Ouran students to trace her suddenly feminine outline from the confines of her male uniform.

Haruhi's classroom did not provide solace from the stares of her classmates as her teacher for the morning reviewed her late work. She went over the notes quickly with her teacher, who overlooked the tense fingers gripping the pencil and her focused attention. Her usual seat in the back between the twins didn't provide her the protection she desired from all of the stares of her class mates and the students wandering through the halls, but she did her best to keep her focus set on the board and her notes. She even avoided the curious glances of Hikaru and Kaoru beside her, and the thumps of the notes pegging her on the legs until the clock chimed, signaling the teachers to dismiss their students to their second class. The sudden pressure on her arms and the weightless moment before her feet touched the floor shocked her for a moment, until her bag was thrust into her chest and she was dragged out of the classroom by two slightly annoyed twins.

"I know you're ignoring the world, Haruhi," Hikaru started as he looked down at her with a sideways glance. Kaoru rubbed her shoulder, allowing himself to look a bit more concerned than his brother.

"but you don't have to shut us out, too. We're your favorites, remember?"

She risked a smile and sunk her neck into her shoulders when even more eyes turned to regard her.

"I know, I'm just," they strained to hear her as her pace increased and she ducked into the nearest hallway.

"just trying to get used to the whole "I'm actually a girl" thing. I don't even know what I should say."

Haruhi wasn't worried about what people thought about her. Sure, she had pretended to be a guy, but it wasn't for some sick fetish or to retain the attention of the schools most eligible bachelors. She didn't want to face the girls she had serviced and the possibility that they would feel cheated. The thought of having to face even a single disheartened customer was the sole reason Haruhi Fujioka was fidgeting with her jacket hem all during her next class and staring pointedly at anything else other than the girls in Ouran Academy uniforms.

When she told the twins that she was going to forego lunch in order to speak with her math instructor, they were a bit wary at leaving her alone. Haruhi took a slow breath, and gave them a sheepish smile when she shouldered her bag after class.

"If I don't start doing things on my own, I'll get too used to having you guys stick up for me and I'll never get up the nerve to clear the air. I'll see you after lunch."

Haruhi nodded as she turned to leave the room, having waited until the class was empty regardless of her attempted bravery. She would bite the bullet, but it didn't mean she had to load the gunpowder just yet.

"It's not like I mind being there all the time," Hikaru muttered under his breath as he headed for the cafeteria. Kaoru stayed in step with his brother silently, regarding him out of the corner of his eye. How true those words were, Haruhi would never know.

Her math instructor hadn't been happy about her skipping lunch, but she allowed Haruhi to turn in her Calculus work early and begin making up the quizzes and tests that she had not been allowed to take with her. The pencil lead didn't stop as frequently as it had all those nights when she had began her make up work; each question brought forth a sliver of midnight study sessions that guided her to the right answer. A smile pulled her lips from their pout of concentration, and remained as the teacher congratulated her for staying on top of her lessons.

"I wouldn't expect anything less of a scholarship student, much less a Murakami," she had insisted, smiling as she handed Haruhi the next quiz paper. Haruhi's hand faltered for a moment, before she took it and nodded easily, returning back to her seat.

Murakami, huh? So that's what her teachers saw her as now. She was now the scholarship student who'd of course made it because of her bloodline. Kyoya's voice faltered in her mind when everything came swirling in at once; images of her father, lines from the letters Sadao had sent, Tamaki, Kyoya, those girls-

she breathed.

Quiz, alright.

_'I can do this, I just have to… concentrate. I'm not a Murakami, I'm a Fujioka. I haven't earned any name other than my own.'_

In the back of her mind, she saw Kyoya regarding her from the couch the night that her father had been hospitalized.  
_**  
"It's just that… it seems like I'm the only one here who's weak."**_

_**5 a.m. struck on the dot from the grandfather clock chiming in another room, and those staccato chimes nearly deafened the murmured response from Kyoya's lips as her hands once again took residence on his aching shoulders.**_

_**"I don't believe you are."**_

_**It was all the reassurance she needed for now, and she was glad he couldn't see how warmly his attempted indifference made her smile for the first time in what felt like ages, her cheek muscles slightly aching from the lack of use.**_

If he believed that, than she would trust his judgment, also.

The clouds moved outside of the window pane and allowed the sunlight to warm her face as she continued on with her work.

~v~

"I'd have to say that she is alright. I've received no calls of complaint and have no reason to worry about her wellbeing."

Kyoya knew that Tamaki wouldn't be sated with his confidence, and sighed harshly when he was proven correct, once again.

"But Kyoyaaaa, what if she's, she's-"

"Tied up in a closet and being tortured by gypped loonies? Being fondled by over-eager testosterone induced bastards? Or how about-"

He felt a scowl flitter over his face at Naoki's brusque sense of humor, but he couldn't deny he did very well at getting under Tamaki's skin.

"Naoki, you-you BEAST! Don't even suggest such slanderous things about my daughter! What if they were to come true?"

The high-pitched wail was ended with a loud thump, and Kyoya raised a brow at the odd sounds magnified on the speaker of his ear piece.

"Pardon that, Kyoya-san, he doesn't know when to shut his yap at the moment. I'll straighten him out, you just worry about… Kyoya things, alright? Later."

"Kyoya things, hmm?" the raven haired Ootori reiterated as he hung up his cell phone and pocketed it.

All throughout the morning, the business had taken up his time and he hadn't been able to bathe. As he soaked away his free time in the tub, he regarded his cell phone and sighed. Even after a year had passed since his attendance at Ouran, he still remembered the time schedule and knew that Haruhi was on her lunch break.

'She's probably barricaded herself behind the twins,' he assumed with a wry smirk. Deciding to find out just how she was fairing, he sent her a quick text and was surprised at the near immediate vibration in response.

To: Haruhi  
I am assuming that your return to Ouran is going well?

To: Kyoya-senpai

Fine. Make up work at lunch. Going after school with Hika and Kao. Ok?

When the cool air outside of his bath tub nipped his skin, he shivered lightly and indulged in the warmth of the bath robe while the water drained away.

To: Haruhi  
Of course. I expect you to return before dinner.

Kyoya could have smacked himself for forgetting about the ball the following day, and, in accordance, the celebration of his birthday. In a rush he pulled on a pair of black slacks and a cream sweater to keep him warm beneath his winter coat, buttoning it as he exited the door of his manor. How could he have forgotten?

~v~

'I've got to change his name in my phone, too,'

Haruhi pondered aimlessly as she once again waited for her math instructor to finish examining her math work. She was surprised she had finished almost all of the quizzes in one lunch period, and her teacher dismissed her when the bell rang.

"You may return on Monday to continue on with the test portion of the make up work. I'll record your grades immediately, Haruhi. Have a good day."

She bade her teacher farewell with a smile and shut the door behind her. Life was once again returned to the halls, and she was without the presence of her protectors. Her words to Hikaru and Kaoru returned to her and she stood straighter and put on a small smile to hide her nervousness.

'This is what I wanted.' Haruhi couldn't deny that she was glad to return to Ouran Academy. It wasn't so much the grand halls and the lavish decorations that made it feel so welcoming, nor the advanced education that she was receiving compared to average high schools.

She'd missed her friends, the people who melted away the monotony she always set herself into.

"Umm, Haruhi?"

Their yellow uniforms and cautions faces made her blink slowly after she turned around. Three young ladies stood there, three faces she knew very well. They were each her regulars.

They smiled when she fumbled with her greetings.

"We wanted to tell you that it's okay."

Haruhi started at their peals of laughter as she tried to formally apologize for her deception, but the girl on the right patted her shoulder and regarded her with an enthused smile.

"We're not mad, really. Well, it was rather unexpected that you were a girl, but I,"

she looked to the two girls beside her before rephrasing,  
"WE, understand that you were actually very brave!"

The shorter girl with ash blonde locks nodded and grabbed Haruhi's hand lightly, patting it with care.

"I'm, uh, what?"

Again, the students giggled, more ladies in yellow joining the group to agree.

"Even though you were so poor, you agreed to sell yourself to pay for the vase you broke! Oh, it's ever so dashing that you would spend all night cleaning the Music Room and sorting the teas!"

From the end of the hall, Haruhi could make out the knowing smirks on those annoyingly identical faces. Her head was swimming with their reassurances, and the relief that they had forgiven her. At Ouran, everything would be all right.

The Host Club welcomed her back and Kyoya's replacement had kept close tabs on the relevance of Haruhi's departure to the variations of income from Host requests.

"While I wasn't able to provide our patrons with more photo books including yourself, the mystery of your heritage and the "accidents",

He eyed Haruhi with an arched brow when she flinched, nearly dropping the tea tray in her hands before continuing,

"brought in more patrons requesting any information that wasn't already released."

The clap on her back from Hikaru further disrupted her balance with the tray, and Haruhi was thankful that Kaoru assisted her with her compromised balance. Kaoru was quickly becoming her favored twin.

"Assuming my calculations are correct, your lack of attendance can be pardoned for the intrigue your mystery created."

The rest of the Host Club members looked to the boy with the calculator in hand, waiting for him to finish his assessment. Kyoya had selected Yusa not only for his intelligence, but for his fondness to use suspense to retain the Host Club's attention.

"So I'm…?"

Haruhi attempted to draw the truth from the smirking lips, praying that she had interpreted his assessment correctly. Could she really…?

"As of today, you have the same remaining debt as the last day you attended Host Club Activities."

He clapped her shoulder as she blinked and turned to assist his customer with her purchases.

"You may thank me after Host Club Activities are finished."

A smile and a wink sent the girls into a sighing flutter and Haruhi shook her head at how easily everything returned to normal. Her customers still blushed under the warmth of her compliments, still laughed at her jokes and asked for her advice on trivial matters. As Host club hours dwindled away, she was requested by another Host Club regular. Haruhi brought another tray of tea to the table and was thankful that there was no theme for today to make carrying the tray more difficult.

Glancing up towards the girl with a smile, she noticed her sooty eyelashes and rich mocha hair curled in deep ringlets. She had been one of Kyoya's regulars who had transferred to Yusa after his graduation and had never personally requested Haruhi. She gave Haruhi a small smile and when she spoke, her voice was rich and foreign.

"You must be very glad to have returned to Ouran after so long, Haruhi."

It was not a question, and Haruhi regarded her with a curious expression as she sat in her cushioned seat and sorted the sugars and tea leaves.

"Of course, miss. I hadn't planned to stay away for so long, but unforeseen circumstances kept me rather,"

she swallowed at the memories that involved her raven-haired companion and the more compromising positions he was responsible for,

"occupied."

The smooth ringlets moved along her shoulders as she nodded towards the tea pot.

"May I?"

It was customary for the Host to always prepare the tea and keep their guests serviced, but Haruhi nodded in thanks and held out her cup. The steam slipped out of the thin mouth and gave way to the hot liquid as it missed the cup and scalded Haruhi's hand. She bit back a whimper when she withdrew her hand and pulled it tightly to her chest, catching the Twins attention. As the twins coddled Haruhi and soothed the burn with a damp tea towel, Haruhi's guest returned the tea pot to the tray and remained seated, her lips turning downward as her eye brows knitted. Hikaru turned his gaze to the sulking girl and regarded her in thinly veiled distain.

"Are you an idiot? You should apologize to Haruhi for burning her hand."

Kaoru's lips brushed against the reddened skin, his golden gaze registering the whitening of the regular's knuckles before he too spoke.

"Unless your slip of the hand was on purpose?"

"No, n- no, I'm sure it was just an accident, she's-"

Haruhi had began to stumble over her words, quick to jump to her guests defense regardless of her injury, but she was cut off when her hand began to throb. Yusa assisted her, aware of the situation and of Hikaru and Kaoru's intentions. As he applied the burn cream and dressed the wound, Yusa never took his eyes off of Haruhi and cupped her cheek to brighten the pink flush beginning to spread from his attentions.

"Regardless, your hand is still injured and I'm sure you're in pain. Would you like my assistance to-"

"Enough."

Those eyes that regarded her watched as she stood and smoothed the skirt of her dress before she spoke.

"How could you assist this lying commoner filth? Treating her like she didn't falsify her gender just to become closer to the Host Club, it's disgusting."

Those fiery onyx eyes regarded the wide eyed caramel orbs with disgust and frustration, and Haruhi understood the depth of the girl's feelings of contempt for her.

"You think that you're so important because you supposedly "saved" Kyoya-san from a car accident, but it was your entire fault he was put in a compromising position. I cannot believe that you are anything worthy of the praise of an Ootori, and I refuse to accept that a gender confused commoner holds a rank worthy of my acknowledgement."

'She has feelings for Kyoya, doesn't she?' Haruhi asked herself softly. She felt more than heard Hikarus burning retort and the flare of anger in the scorned girl in front of her before she touched Hikaru with her uninjured hand and smiled when he regarded her hotly.

"I understand what you're saying, Miss. You're absolutely right, I'm not anything special. I don't desire any attention for helping Kyoya because I did what I felt was right, regardless of my own responsibility for the accident."

Despite the tense situation, she smiled warmly to the girl and began cleaning the tea with the dish towel so that it wouldn't set into the table cloth. The girl was taking her anger out on Haruhi because she had been worried about Kyoya, angered that he had been endangered, and scorned by his involvement with her. To be angry at her for not understanding her feelings would be foolish, and Haruhi tried her best to ignore the fading throb in her left hand that protested her polite nature.

"The thing is," Haruhi began as she picked up the remains on the tray and met the girls glare across the table. She asked Kaoru to take it from her and he obliged, patting her head as she continued.

"I didn't do it because it was him. I would have done my best to protect anyone who had been with me that day. I apologize for causing you worry for his welfare, but I must insist that if you have any issues pertaining to Kyoya that you address them with him and not myself."

With a bow and a smile, she excused herself from the group and proceeded to join Kaoru and clean the used tea cups.

~v~

"I'm just glad that Yusa suspended her attendance at the Host Club," Hikaru muttered over the warmth of his espresso. Kaoru nodded from his own as he regarded the window display of a shop they were passing by. The city sidewalks were crowded and noisy, not allowing Haruhi to dwell in her own thoughts as she was dragged through by Hikaru and Kaoru towards the more high-end gift shops. Afternoon traffic had made driving a chore and Haruhi had suggested the convenience of the sidewalks, a concept that was previously unexplored by the twins. As such, they had decided to indulge in Haruhi's suggestion and agreed that it was rather entertaining only after their hands had thawed from the warm coffee and she had been squeezed between them so that she would not be lost to the crowd.

"It wasn't severe enough for her to be suspended from the Host Club,"

Haruhi argued, pocketing her empty hands in her winter jacket. Kyoya had chosen it for the rabbit fur that lined the inside, and she inwardly thanked his disregard for animal rights. She didn't mind the frozen chill of the air so long as she was warmly clothed.

Hikaru turned to her to disagree, but turned away quickly and cursed. The wind had chilled her nose and cheeks, kissing the pale crème of her skin and turning it into a rosy pink. She was far too cute to chastise.

"What Hikaru meant to say,"

Kaoru quickly covered for his brother when he noted the rouge of his brothers own cheeks,

"was that regardless of the severity of her crime, she still took out her frustrations on you, and that is unforgivable."

Haruhi's arguments were ceased under the friendly welcomes and the chime of bells as they entered store after store in search for Kyoya's birthday present. She'd browsed the shelves and fingered the intricate trinkets presented to her, but nothing stood out to her that Kyoya would approve of. Haruhi began to feel the hunger from skipping breakfast and lunch settle in as she was browsing in the fifth store they'd entered, having left Hikaru and Kaoru to their own devices of entertainment with the shop. The smell of the snack was tempting, but she remembered Kyoya's request to be home by dinner time and she decided not to spoil her appetite.

"Why do you care so much what it is?"

Hikaru asked from beside her, fingering one of the sea shells in a woven basket. Haruhi had heard him repeat this at every store, urging her to just pick something and continue on to more exciting adventures, but she had deterred him one way or another with tacky accessories and commoner items.

"I don't want to buy something for the sake of buying it. I have to like it,"

She spoke more to herself, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as she regarded something closely on the shelf.

To the Hitachiins relief, she'd finally found something acceptable. When it was wrapped and labeled, she declined their offer to buy her dinner and returned to the Ootori Manor. How the maids regarded her and her present made her face flush as they whispered knowingly that it was for Kyoya's birthday. Her closet provided the perfect home for the silver-wrapped box and she closed it with a sigh before sitting her bag on her desk chair and entering Kyoya's room.

She was only met with silence. The bathroom held no soaking Kyoya, nor did the paradise room present him relaxing at the pool side. Curious, she returned to his room and decided to wait for him to return; she needed his assistance with her math assignment.

"I'll just rest a while before he gets back," Haruhi assured herself, removing her shoes and jacket to curl up on the couch.

"Just for a while…"

~v~

"Will you please repeat that?"

His afternoon was quickly going downhill as he growled into his cell phone. He'd just settled into the back of his limo when his pocket had vibrated and his day went from bad to awful.

"I-I-I don't know what happened, Kyoya-san! This has never happened before and-"

The quiet fury in his voice was enough to silence the quivering voice on the other line.

"I have no use for your excuses if you cannot provide me with my order, Yutanabe."

The offer to provide a replacement dress was tempting, but Kyoya would not press his luck with the man and declined, pocketing his cell phone to flip through his address book. Yutanabe was his associate in a high-class clothing company that provided Kyoya with any formal orders he required. He had ordered Haruhi's ball gown soon after his father's dinner, and had been assured that the dress would be completed upon his requests.

After Kyoya had resolved his business outside of the manor, Yutanabe had called to inform him of a 'slight mishap'; in a rush to handle all of his orders, Yutanabe had forgotten to adjust the measurements from centimeters to inches.

As it was, Yutanabe had lost a frequent customer and Haruhi had lost her ball gown.

Kyoya sighed as the approach of an oncoming headache made his day that much worse, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn't sure how much more could go wrong. The small parcel in his pocket caught his attention and felt heavier than it should as he climbed the stairs to his room. It had been a whim to order the contents of the small box, but he was sure that it would be accepted and his stomach calmed as he continued to assure himself. He was surprised to find Haruhi dozing on his sofa, and quietly placed the parcel in his desk before regarding her closely. A smile tugged at his lips seeing her still dressed in her school uniform, his eyes tracing the outline of her petite figure without her chest wrap. He followed the slight curve of her breast to the concave curve of her stomach. The hands that were tucked by her cheek caught his eye, and he bent to examine them closely. The bandage on her left hand was pulled tightly and did not belong for any reasons he could note. Gently he took the injured hand in his own and examined it.

"Mmmn," Haruhi mumbled as she rubbed her eye with her free hand.  
"Welcome back, Haruhi," he murmured slyly as her eyes met his. The caress of his fingers on the angry burn of her hand caught her attention and she sat upright, clutching her hand over her chest as she dismissed his silent concern.

"I just slipped, that's all." How defensive she became easily alerted him to Haruhi's shoddy attempt to lie, and he adjusted his glasses before taking a seat beside her. Again, he reached for her hand and asked for permission to examine it further.

When he unwrapped the bandage, he knew it was no injury from her tripping over her own two feet; her skin was scalded a light pink around the base of her thumb and wrist. The slight haze of sleep dulled the pain as he brushed it with his finger tips, but she allowed him to redress the wound and wrap it in fresh gauze.

"I would prefer your next answer to be the truth, unless you would prefer me to inquire about your injury with the Hitachiins?"

He met her eyes in a level stare, watching her regard her hand in his, his arched brow, and his unmoving gaze. Mumbling "rich bastard" under her breath, she explained what happened, knowing he would be satisfied with the whole truth in case he decided to ask anyone else in the Host Club.

The clock chimed six, and Kyoya regarded his cell phone for a moment before placing it to his ear and waiting for an answer.

"Tamaki, call the Host Club."

He paused as Tamaki spoke on the other line, meeting Haruhi's curious gaze. Tamaki hadn't been there when her injury had happened.

"Yes, the original Host Club. There is no need to involve the newer members. Haruhi's gown for tomorrow evening was incorrectly made, and we have to secure her a gown as soon as possible. Direct them to the dress stores that the Hitachiins request and return to my home at ten."

The click of his phone disconnected his call and he returned it to his pocket before regarding Haruhi.

"I will speak with Aoiyari-san and discuss her available contributions in return for your acceptance of an apology."

Kyoya refused to hear her protests about using her to secure more business ties, smirking languidly and pressing her onto the arm of the couch as he leaned forward.

"You should be satisfied that you've managed to make ladies jealous without having to even display your,"

His fingers dipped into the fold of her collar and allowed him to regard one of his love bites with a small smirk still shaping his lips.

"symbols of my affection."

The pad of his thumb smoothed over her skin and she swatted it away before standing up and straightening her shirt, much to Kyoya's amusement.

"So what's this about a dress?"

~v~

Kyoya had made sure that each selected store remained open for their patronage, and regarded the dress he had selected for Haruhi.

"What's not to like? The material is soft and its design is very popular."

The brunette girl ran a hand over the beading and scrunched her nose.

"I'm a walking craft store. Plus," she did her best to hold out the incredibly short tag under her arm, eliciting a raised brow of amusement from Kyoya in the process.

"It's worth more than my apartment rent for three months. Can't we find something more… agreeable?"

Kyoya glanced from the sorted pile of dresses to the one she was wearing; he had to admit that while it was a well-made dress, he had pictured her in something more… desirable. With a nod, she sighed and went to throw on the next garment he had selected, and thankfully the final. With the material far too large on her frame, they purchased the three dresses that they had both agreed on and allowed the shop owner to close up for the night.

Tachibana waited on the curb, and Kyoya saw his weary smile as he passed by the street lamp, nodding back in return as he led Haruhi into the limousine. She tossed the bag on her usual seat and slumped beside Kyoya, accepting his offer for pain killers.

The amused glance he held on his face throughout the evening still regarded her in the darkness of the limo, and she couldn't help but smile at how flustered she had been at the dress shop.

"Did you really have to choose such outrageous dresses?"

She inquired again, sipping the bottle of water while she waited for his humored reply.

"After your selection of that, dress,"

He paused to emphasize his dislike for the simple slip of silk that he had allowed her to try on,

"anything I would have selected would be considered outrageous to you."

With a shrug of her shoulders to dismiss the truth, she turned her attention to the approaching manor and how the lights from the windows melted into the darkness. Outlines of maids finishing up their nightly duties were seen flittering past the curtains as she stepped out into the November chill, clutching the bag of dresses. She only had a moment to regard the other cars parked in the drive belonging to the Host Club members before she was ushered inside and swept into a tight embrace.

"Oh my wonderful Haruhi! It has made papa so proud to buy you your first dress to wear as a woman!" The circles made her dizzy, and Haruhi stumbled lightly as Tamaki was pulled back by an amused Naoki. He looked every bit a boy in his cargo pants, layered tops, and the white beanie over top his pale blonde hair. Hanni wasted no time in pouncing on the wide eyed girl and kissing her cheek.

"Haru-chan! Me and Takashi picked out the best dresses, right Takashi?"  
Mori nodded in agreement, plucking Hanni from Haruhi's arms and handing her the shopping bag for her inspection.  
In a cluster, they headed up the stairs and nibbled on the snacks provided by one of the maids before she retired to bed. Kyoya's bathroom became the home of dress after dress as she changed and re-changed to satiate her friends in the next room.

While each dress ranged in style, Haruhi noticed that each dress had the same thing in common; they were all red and white. Kyoya was not happy that his selections were easily dismissed by their more "opinioned" friends, trying his best not to mutilate his blonde best friend and the red headed devils as they opted for their own selections.

"If I had been aware that you would be so uncouth in your opinions, I wouldn't have requested your assistance," Kyoya stated over his tea.

Haruhi had given up for the moment and returned to the group to indulge in the small sandwiches that didn't do much to satiate her hunger. Again she was shooed from the table to finish with the frilly garments, and she struggled to pull on one of the garments that Tamaki had selected. She had barely stepped out of the door before the twins gave her a flat out

"No."

Satisfied, she returned to the bathroom and ignored Tamaki's cries of protests.

In the end, they hung each dress on its hanger and regarded them from where they rested on the rails of Kyoya's bedroom stairs to preserve the white of the garments.

Eight dresses were selected, none of which were Tamaki's original choices.

"We've got to consider the fit of the dress, Tamaki, and yours were all sized badly,"

Kaoru had explained to the hunched over King. Hanni patted the taller blonde's leg and agreed that the other dresses made Haruhi look much prettier.

"I still agree with the one second to the left," Naoki murmured as he bit his thumb, and Haruhi nodded in agreement. It was one of the simpler dresses, something that she appreciated much more than the beaded silk dresses or revealing slits.

Hanni beamed.

"Takashi picked that one, Haru-chan! I helped, too," he added, jumping to try and remove the dress from the railing. Mori patted the boys head and easily reached the dress with his longer limbs, handing it down to the girl with a small smile.

"It is very beautiful," Mori agreed quietly as she looked up at him with her large caramel eyes.

"It will suit you well."

Ignoring the flush of her cheeks at Mori's compliment, she thanked them both and turned to regard the rest of the unconvinced group.

"It's alright," Hikaru agreed with a shrug. As much as he agreed with Mori that the dress was well suited to Haruhi, he had hoped that one of his and Kaoru's dresses would be chosen; Kaoru smiled at the childish jealousy of his brother as he fingered the chiffon layers and lace bodice designs.

"You are very well suited to vintage, Haruhi," he began as he held it up to her torso. Hikaru joined his brother and shared a crooked smile before he, too, agreed to the dress.  
"It will hide the small size of your chest from any curious boys."

"My Haruhi does NOT have a small chest!" Tamaki shouted defensively as he reached out to hug his daughter. Small hands caught him from behind and dragged him back, before latching onto his cheeks and pulling hard.

"Who's YOUR Haruhi, huh?"

Naoki growled over Tamaki's whines of pain and the Host Club's amused laughter.

"Man, you really know how to pick 'em, Tono."

Hikaru leaned on his brother as they continued to taunt their King over his cries of "Daidaidaidaidai~!", and Hanni looked up to his cousin in wonder.

"Can my face stretch that far too, Takashi?"

As their meeting came to an end, Haruhi said her goodbyes and shut the door behind her, regarding her silent companion with curiosity.

"You're rather quiet, Kyoya. Is there something on your mind?"

To such a simple question, Kyoya's mind pushed forward a million answers, and he allowed himself to sigh. Haruhi remained silent for a few moments before she turned in the direction of the kitchen. Since she had skipped breakfast lunch and dinner, she was famished and didn't care to wait any longer for Kyoya to answer. He followed behind her and smirked as he was led to the kitchen, their usual late night destination.

"I'm assuming you opted to forego lunch today?"

"And dinner," she murmured from the fridge. When she returned to view, the light from the fridge the only illumination, she was munching on a strawberry and pulling out the fixings for another late night meal. Kyoya had also foregone dinner, and proceeded to assist her with a wine selection.

"Is there anything you would like assistance with?"

Kyoya offered after he'd poured himself a glass of wine. She leaned against the counter as she reached for the bowls and nodded, not taking her eyes from the knife she handled.

"Could you get me the radishes? I forgot you like them in your salad."

She held out her uninjured hand to receive the radish and held it lightly in her left hand so that she could chop it cleanly. When the broad torso leaned against her back and replaced her injured hand with his larger one, she looked up to the glint of his glasses and his small smirk.

"Hikaru and Kaoru are doing their best to make you gloves to hide the burn. It's best not to increase the severity, hmm?"

Her hunger inclined her to agree, and she placed her injured hand over his larger one to guide it as she slowly cut the radish and kept his hand safely intact. She tried to focus her attentions on the arrangement of the carrots in the salad, but the torso that remained pressed against her even after his assistance wasn't needed proved for a suitable distraction. His hands found their solace on her thin waist, and his chin rested upon the top of her chocolate locks.

"Do you need something?" Haruhi asked, hoping that she had kept her tone calm and even, even as Kyoya could feel the choppy pulse under her skin.

"Not at all," he breathed, moving his chin to the crook of her shoulder so that he could chuckle in her ear when she spilled some of the ginger dressing on the counter and cursed. With a press of his lips to her exposed collar, Kyoya removed himself from her back and set himself at the table, wine glass once again in hand.

"I'm pretty positive you're on the road to becoming an alcoholic," Haruhi admitted, setting the salads and sandwiches on the table and taking a bite. She chewed slowly as Kyoya regarded her from the rim with half lidded eyes, handing his glass towards her.

"Regardless of that matter, I've made a nice selection tonight. Would you care to taste it?"

He raised his eyebrow in silent challenge, and smirked as she accepted it and regarded the glass for a moment before cupping it in both hands and taking a cautions sip. Her tongue lingered over her lips a moment longer than usual as she contemplated the surprising sweetness of the crimson liquid, and missed the small hitch of breath in front of her as she hummed in response, taking another sip before returning the glass to its owner.

"You're right, it's really good, but too much can't be good for you, you know," she chided lightly.

With a chuckle, he stilled the thrum of his heart and ignored the moist tongue that had captured his attention.

"As you wish, mother dearest."

Kyoya chuckled harder as she snorted and dabbed her lips with a napkin before responding.

"According to our favorite blonde idiot, you're momma."

She rested her chin in the palm of her hand before meeting his eyes across the table in an amused stare.

"I'm not sure we should inform him of how badly you adhere to a traditional mother figure."

Their playful banter continued as Haruhi washed their dishes and his hands teased her sides to emphasize her point. Her mind had wandered off to whether or not she could still taste any traces of that wine if she reached up and kissed him as they carefully placed the dresses in her closet and returned to his room to prepare for bed. The thought was enough to stain her cheeks a deep rose, and she scolded herself for letting her eyes linger too long on the build of his torso. Kyoya had forgone her modesty and dressed in his sitting room, leaving little to her wandering imagination.

'I blame those pills and the alcohol mixing together. It must be messing with my train of thought,' she tried to assure herself once she had entered the bathroom to change.  
**'Or perhaps he's just much more attractive than you've previously noticed?' **

No, she couldn't deny that he was extremely attractive, but that had never seriously stinted her mental train of thought. There was more than just looks that mattered to her.

'**He's got everything you'd wanted,' **her honest side admitted. She waited for the rational train of thought to respond with its usual vigor, but all she could think about was the solid outline of muscle in his back and the smooth dip of his spine.  
'And I have to think this, why?' Her lack of an answer led to Kyoya's personal amusement when she stayed to her side of the bed and huddled beneath the sheets. When his fingers brushed the pillow beneath her head, her shoulders twitched and brought fourth another enthused smirk to the raven haired Ootori.

"You're positive on your choice of attire for tomorrow?" Kyoya inquired to gain her attention. He bated her, and she turned to regard his unprotected grey eyes.

"Yes, it was my favorite, no offense."

Haruhi watched as hid eyes roamed over the thin cloth covering her body and felt the heat rush to her face once again.

"And if I were to take offence, would you reassure me?"

Haruhi took far too long to swallow as she tried to moisten her mouth; his eyes shone in the glimmer of moon light and gave them a predatory gleam as she tried to form a decent response.

"If it doesn't lead to another shopping trip and my embarrassment, I suppose I would."

Haruhi had been expecting his lips to move and his response to once again ripen the pink of her cheeks, but instead her lungs forgot the proper method of breathing as her torso was pulled atop his own, her night gown riding up over her thighs and her small hands resting over the slow thrum of his chest. His lips were dangerously close as he arched an eyebrow and declared his price.

"Very well then, reassure me with…"

The tip of his thumb brushed over her bottom lip and his smirk widened when she inhaled sharply.

"These."

His thumb tapped twice on the corner of her mouth as he waited for her to blink.

Ano, another chapter. :DDD

Yes, two months. I've been preparing to go to college, and there was a LOT of drama getting everything taken care of. I got to go to HarryPotterLand, and it was AMAZINGGG! Got there an hour early, waited for a bit, rode the Harry Potter and the Magical Adventure ride in the Hogwarts Castle and it was AWESOME! I also waited two hours in the HOT sun to get into Ollivanders, I was chosen to get my wand selected, and got a birch wand with phoenix feather core and what not. I felt like a five year old, it was so awesome… charms and healing powers FTW!

Anyone else been there yet? I'd love to hear about your Harry Potter adventures, along with your reviews for this chapter and how much you love and hate me.

Kay?

Je t'aime.

PS: This is in celebration of everyone going back to school! YAAAYYYY! I'm applauding you from the comfort of my bed :)


	14. Bovina Sancta Cactus2008 NOT AN UPDATE

Holy Cow! I just realized that while I was revamping my chapters, I accidentally mixed up my chapters. As of now, Chapter 3 Alic Volat Propiis is up and correctly placed.

Thank you, cactus2008, for pointing this out to me.

As such, I have to extend you a token of my gratitude.

For my 100th reviewer, Tsukiei, I will be writing a KyoHaru one shot.

It is up to them if the public will get a taste lol.

Cactus2008, if you would also like your own oneshot, I will gladly write you one, because without your review, future readers would have thought me moronic.

As to why I'm writing this as an Authors note in the story, I apologize, but Cactus2008 doesn't have a link to their page so I can't contact them directly and this is the only way to reach them. I apologize for getting your hopes up,

but the next chapter WILL be up before the 23rd if I have anything to say about it.

So,

keep an eye out for the next chappy!


	15. Labera lege

**Disclaimer: Bisco Hatori is way a way cool artist and manga writer, I'll just stick with the fan fiction aspects of Ouran High School Host Club, sankyuu.**

**Has anyone noticed that in the episode where Tamaki saved Haruhi in the ocean, "FATHER" was written on his swim trunks? Thank you, AMV's, for allowing me to notice that. Anyways, thanks again for the awesome reviews, and keep on being super totally awesome readers. I hope you're all having fun at school, or in the Brits cases, getting ready to go back, from what my super cool contact told me *winks*  
**

**I said I'd get this to you by the 23****rd****, didn't I? Well, I did. **

**The first half, anyway… **

**Enjoy this chapter as I try to figure out where the hell all my brownies keep going. **

**Labera lege** - _Read my lips_

~V~

_"And if I were to take offence, would you reassure me?"_

_Haruhi took far too long to swallow as she tried to moisten her mouth; his eyes shone in the glimmer of moon light and gave them a predatory gleam as she tried to form a decent response._

_"If it doesn't lead to another shopping trip and my embarrassment, I suppose I would."_

_Haruhi had been expecting his lips to move and his response to once again ripen the pink of her cheeks, but instead her lungs forgot the proper method of breathing as her torso was pulled atop his own, her night gown riding up over her thighs and her small hands resting over the slow thrum of his chest. His lips were dangerously close as he arched an eyebrow and declared his price._

_"Very well then, reassure me with…"_

_The tip of his thumb brushed over her bottom lip and his smirk widened when she inhaled sharply._

_"These."_

_His thumb tapped twice on the corner of her mouth as he waited for her to blink. _

The sweet breaths that came in short pauses caused his lips to tilt further upwards in a coy smile. His other hand languidly traced the subtle curve of her hips that jerked when his fingertips brushed over her, and further disrupted her shallow breathing.

"I don't understand,"

Haruhi spoke, her words cluttered from her confusion. She could feel the static at the edges of her brain, slowly eating away her ability to focus on her breathing.

"How would that reassure you? You want me to, to…"

She averted her gaze to the revealed chest beneath her and realized that was an even worse place to look, feeling the warmth of her cheeks spread down her chest. He'd watched as her eyes began to boil with her rosen cheeks, melting the caramel into burning pools that caused his chest to catch fire beneath her stare. Her hesitation led him to chuckle, the feeling echoing through her palms before he once again grazed her bottom lip with his thumb.

"Were you honest, you wouldn't have any dispute over my request, though-"

There were times when her touch was so soft he barely felt it, times where it had taken her continuous prodding to bring his attention to her. When her finger tips lightly dug into the muscle of his chest, her touch was all he felt, still on fire from her molten caramel orbs.

Haruhi's lips started their caress in the hollow of his throat, timid, shy, and feather light. She noticed his skin growing warmer as his hand joined its brother on the grooves of her hips and she stretched upwards, allowing her to slowly edge her way to the side of his jaw, below his ear.

"I hope this is reassuring enough for you."

He hadn't expected her lips to graze the shell of his ear before her teeth nipped the lobe. Kyoya shuddered from the sharp pleasure and tightened his grip on her hips, once again causing them to roll against his waist. She barely noticed her own actions, too aware of where her lips ventured and keeping her breathing in tact.

'This is insane!' She shouted at herself, trying her best not to enjoy the light touch of his fingertips as they moved to trace patterns on her lower back.

'I shouldn't have even agreed to this, I don't even see the point except for-'

**'Except for what?' **

She remained silent once more as she felt the heated silk of his cheek.

**'Except for the mere pleasure of it, and you, Haruhi, should be very pleased.' **

Her confusion led her to pause in her requested affections, and her eye lids fluttered as she regarded the voice with in her.

"Pleased…?"

The thought struck her as odd, moving past her lips while Kyoya hummed absently.

"Not quite," Kyoya answered. Her eyes moved to the liquid steel beneath her, meeting them in quiet understanding.

'I am… pleased.' She answered herself quietly, and that was all it took to convince her fingers to trail up and into those raven locks and her eye lids to dim the burn of her locked gaze.

She had never kissed Kyoya of her own accord, only following her instincts as his lips had caressed her own. Now that she was to initiate an intimate moment with the boy beneath her, Haruhi realized that she had absolutely no idea what to do. This breathtakingly beautiful boy was lying beneath her of his own free will, his hands doing sweet, temptuous things to her body and all she could think was that he knew so much more about-

"Are you afraid of it, Haruhi?"

Kyoya asked as his eyes met hers in jest. His palm dipped lower to draw forth a reaction, causing her hips to sway and her breath to stagger for a moment. The innocence he felt when her lips touched his brought him to pull her closer. He could taste her insecurity and watched as her eye lids squeezed shut in naive embarrassment. Kyoya allowed her to tighten her grip on his scalp while she rode out her initial fear before her eyes once again peeped open and sought his.

He never wanted them to close again as he soaked in the feelings that spilled through those anxious caramel eyes; those molten eyes followed the stray lock of hair that dipped into his eyes as he met her kiss with his own.

Kyoya fit his lips into the groove of her own and smirked at the small sigh of relief she gave as her body eased from the tension and pressed closer to his own. She presented him with what he desired and he accepted her apology, happy to resume his natural dominance after her little pink tongue had dabbed his lower lip and met his own. In the back of his mind, Kyoya noticed how his hands fit the arch of her back and moved downwards, fully cupping her bottom to enjoy the startled gasp when he squeezed one round cheek.

"Could you please lower my nightgown and-"

Haruhi ended her sentence with a muffled gasp, his lips effectively silencing her and the pressure on both her hip and her bottom sending a shiver down her spine that wasn't related to the draft. Once again she felt her face glow from his attentions and followed his movements as he sat up to better reach the tender flesh of her neck. Mindful not to leave any of his marks, Kyoya teased over the taught skin of her collar bone where he knew caused those breathtaking little mewls in response. He was not disappointed when he ran his tongue along the hollow of the bone and her fingers tightened their hold as she let out a breathy whimper.

"Not there," She whispered, her voice high-pitched as he continued to tease Now, as she rested in his lap, he could feel when his teeth grazed the right spots and his tongue dragged over her more sensitive areas as her hips gently rolled into his own.

"At least we know one way to quiet you. All one must do is intervene with these,"

Haruhi shivered as his kiss once again pleasured her chest,

"Persuasive means."

One of her free hands thumped his shoulder in response, allowing her to pull his head up far enough to meet her smoldering gaze.

"Your teasing won't work, Kyoya. I know you'd never do something like that in public."

"Oh?"

He questioned, pausing when she met his challenge and nodded strongly, anything to ignore the hand still splayed over her bottom.

"I believe that we agreed to suffice with body language, and as such I will resign myself to using actions rather than words."

His lips once again retuned as he enjoyed the rigid shock in her back and hands before she found her voice once again.

"W-what?"

It wasn't much of a retort, her thoughts lost from his answer and those cursed lips traversing the length of her neck. She felt his lips as he answered and couldn't stop her shivers from his increased ministrations.

"You've managed to make this all the more interesting little fox. You could, however,"

he used the fingers once on her hip to slide up her torso absently,

"put your lips to better use."

Haruhi balked at the suggestion and his enthused chuckle when her rib became his fingers prey. His lips once again met hers in a heated embrace, allowing his fingers to trace the slight outline of her ribs. The shiver down her back drew those attentive fingers to the dip of her spine and spoke gibberish along the length of her clothed skin.

'It seems she's more sensitive here,' Kyoya squeezed her cheek gently and favored the mewl he engulfed before he lowered the hand at her spine to the bottom of her night slip.

'Than here.'

His fingertips remembered the skin of her stomach from the morning in the pool and was thankful that her body greeted the touch of his digits in return, heating slightly and causing her to elicit more of those engulfed mewls. Without warning Kyoya rolled Haruhi onto her back and hissed as one of her thighs brushed in between his legs when her hips rolled once again.

"That was not wise," Kyoya whispered hotly in her ear before grunting when she repeated the action.

"You mean that?" Haruhi questioned through her satisfaction. "Why?"

She felt the heat that coiled in her abdomen when he gave her the same treatment, the pressure of his pelvis rolling against hers causing her breathing to quicken.

"O-Oh. Sorry," Haruhi managed to stutter.

He relented in favor of the skin on skin contact, his hand splayed on the small of her back. His touch never failed to dissolve the resistance she had built against the opposite sex, draining the will to fight. Her lips felt swollen against his own, the heat in her face reflected in areas of her body that demanded to be quelled. She did not know these feelings; Kyoya knew them all too well.

Haruhi's body responded to each kiss, each touch and graze, showing more honesty than she herself was aware of. If he were to be honest with himself, he would have to confess that the innocent tug of her fingers in his hair was more than feeding his temptation, it was downright provocative. With her body pressed flush against his own, Kyoya had no idea how she hadn't noticed the evidence of his own pleasure when her hips rolled against his.

'If I allow this to continue for much longer, she won't leave this room unscathed,' Kyoya attempted to convince himself, though his fingers continued breezing over her spine and his hand stayed cupped on her cheek, guiding it when she bucked from her guilty pleasures. A low growl formed in his throat, realizing how far he had allowed the night to progress while knowing all the while he couldn't progress onward. Not with her.

He'd ignored his own innocence for the sake of business, and now the pleasures of the body were next to meaningless for him. Haruhi, on the other hand, had her own ideals. Kyoya couldn't let her become another midnight lover to add to his list of "things to do."

The light from the digital clock on his bedside allowed him to meet her eyes, to watch her eyebrows raise and her eyes widen when she took in the swollen grin and liquid iron eyes that seemed far too warm when they met her own.

"I will deem your apology acceptable, for the moment. Considering your impressive learning capabilities,"

Kyoya pressed his lips to her jaw, allowing them to kiss their way to the side of her throat before speaking again.

"it would be ungrateful of me not to acknowledge your attentions."

Through the small pants, Haruhi felt her own kiss swollen lips and allowed herself to fall back, her arm an unsteady prop. It took her a moment to find her voice again, and she was shocked to hear how low and shaky she sounded against the silence.

"I don't understand what all of this is, or why it's happening,"

Kyoya watched the white sheets flutter, concealing one pink cheeked Haruhi beneath before she spoke again.

"But I don't see how something like that could be an apology. I still like the dress."

The small form wriggled to it's claimed side of the bed, dragging a pillow underneath the confines of the down to avoid another sultry moment with the lust strewn shadow king beside her. Haruhi's anxiety was nearly tangible as she struggled to erase the imprint of the moment from her mind to find the ease of sleep, and Kyoya was both worrisome and entertained.

The undulation of her small hips had stirred more than the heat pooled in his abdomen, the kiss of slightly unwilling pleasured more than his lust for domination.

Her prone form lying there unsullied, wrapped in his white linens made him yearn for a moment where those one sided encounters from his past could, in some lifetime, pertain to her.

No, he did not like her, need her, desire her.

Haruhi was not a tool to be had, not to him.

When his torso leaned against hers and his arms encircled the slight curve of a shivering waist, his body gave way to the honesty his mind couldn't create. The smooth beat of his heart set her unease to rest, and that warmth she felt from his larger body calmed the tension keeping her from sleep.

"You may consider it as an apology, were you to know that it had that intended affect."

Kyoya pressed himself closer to her still form and exhaled slowly, his thumb edging over the same trail of her waist.

"I no longer feel contempt towards your gown of choice,"

he admitted with a small chuckle. A moment later, a bedraggled head poked out and met his look with an incredulous widening of her eyes and her mouth agape.

"You were jealous of my dress? THAT'S why I had to apologize, because I didn't pick a dress you chose?"

"When you put it that way," Haruhi swatted at him when he pressed a quick kiss to her temple,

"I do suppose you have that effect on me. Goodnight, Haruhi."

She would have continued, had his head not found solace in the open crook of her neck. Without another word, Haruhi huffed and resigned herself to playing the roll of an oversized stuffed animal and drifted off into an easy sleep.

Kyoya resigned himself to allowing others to assist in choosing outfits for Haruhi, so long as he received the desired benefits.

~V~

There were better ways to wake up in the morning. One such involved not being startled awake by a blonde idiot and his red headed companions.

"Mou, I can't agree with my daughter being anything less than center stage in this unforgettable event!"

Much to her embarrassment, the twins quickly agreed and came to the aid of their King.

"He's right, Kyoya. Tono shouldn't be in the spotlight now that he's getting so old,"

Kaoru drawled, smoothing one hand across his brother's flawless cheek.

"He doesn't possess the glowing beauty of youth like Haruhi does, so putting him in the center would be like comparing a blonde to a red head,"

Hikaru and Kaoru sharply turned to face their King, sharp smirks running him through to the core.

"They simply can't help but get burned."

The blend of their voices finished with rivets of laughter as Tamaki dramatically felt his peachy cheeks, feeling for any sudden flaws or imperfections.

"I'm not old! I'm beautiful! Naoki, tell me I'm still beautiful?"

With a roll of smoky gray eyes, Tamaki grabbed the boys' hands and struggled to hold back the threat of tears.

"I am, right? All father wanted was to share this moment with his daughter, but how could I possibly show myself at her side if I can't do her beauty justice! I'll be an…eye sore."

"Why the hell do you have to be so loud at ten in the morning?"

Haruhi called from the balcony, using the cover to make sure her undergarments were hidden beneath the short night gown. Ten pairs of eyes met her, eight of which took note of where she had come from.

"What're you doing up there in Kyoya-san's loft?"

One of the newer members of the Host Club asked before anyone else could mention it. Her bare feet padded down the stairs and met the white carpet before she was bombarded with questions of a similar nature, only much more thrown out of proportion.

"What has mother done with you?"

"Haruhi, are you wearing underwear underneath that thing?"

"Aren't commoners used to waking up at the earlier hours of the day?"

"Morning Haru-chan, want some cake?"

"Shut up!"

Stunned silence ensued as she shoved her way through the throng of boys and found the side door to her own room before seeking solace in a hot shower and warm clothing.

"Mother, why was daughter asleep in your room?"

Tamaki's face was darkened with foreboding, each limb encircled by four struggling boys attempting to keep him away from the raven haired boy seated at his desk. His glasses glinted in the florescent lighting before meeting the blonde with a level headed gaze, not an ounce of fear apparent.

"She fell asleep after you left and I saw no reason to rouse her."

The hint of amusement in his eyes sparked a note in Tamaki's throat, and he bit back the gasp of surprise when he felt more than saw the content the thought brought his closest friend.

"You didn't… sleep with her, did you?"

Hikaru tried to hide the spark of jealousy in his voice behind a coy smirk, but Kaoru was privy to his brother's plight.

"Do you think me desperate enough to coerce someone as hard headed as Haruhi to give herself to me?"

Kyoya answered the boys question with one of his own, a seemingly legitimate question in the eyes of the younger Host Club members. The four other boys saw his question for what it was, an easily formed guise.

They knew.

"Mother wouldn't do such a dastardly thing!"

Tamaki shouted at the twins, his posture straightening and his face determined.

"Just a moment ago, you were wondering the same thing, Tono,"

Kaoru stated, effectively deflating the puffed out chest of their blonde idiot leader. Naoki clapped him on the back and joined the others in the laughter at Tamaki's expense, guiding the taller man back to the couch where he continued to sulk.

"Now that I believe we have gotten the accusations out of the way,"

Yusa began, looking pointedly at Tamaki who had opened his mouth to protest. He held his slender jaw open a moment longer than was polite before closing it and leaning back against the back of the couch with a pout and a steaming cup of tea.

"I believe we were situating the positioning of our persons?"

For what felt like the thousandth time, Kyoya cursed women and the headaches their feminine wiles caused. Haruhi sneezed as she ran a brush through her growing locks, trying her best not to worry about the day ahead.

'At least,'

She thought with a strained smile,

'Things will be entertaining, right?'

~V~

This is only the first half to tide you over while I'm moving into my dorm. Ball scenes next, huzzah!


	16. Dolus Specialis

**Disclaimer: No, Caitlin, you can't have my story. I'm sorry, but you'll just have to stick to FanFiction, now, won't you?**

Yes, I hate myself for all of you guys getting ignored.  
In short, I had something short of a life crisis that resulted in the changing of my major from Nursing to Criminology and Literature.  
Now that the semester is finally winding down and I'm a bit more capable of breathing, I was able to grind this out. It's well past overdue, and I'm very sorry that it's not up to my usual standards,

but I'll do my best to edit it once the shock that I'm alive has work off.

In the mean while, please enjoy :)

**dolus specialis** - special intent

-ccc-

The way her heart beat when his hand brushed her arm to lace it with his made it even harder to focus on stepping down the stairs in effortless succession. She didn't want to take another step until she could take a deep breath and still the static shivers,

but she wasn't granted such a luxury.

Kyoya's arm was firm, but gentile, and led her easily down to the light applause, trailing behind the colorful members of the Host Club. As they began to mingle amongst the guests, it was no difficult task to spy Tamaki and Naoki dressed in deep hues of purple, the blonde haired king caressing the cross dressers cheek as guests were fed the wonderful stories of how Tamaki and Nao-chan, the beautiful model, became so close.

Mori stood above the baby pink Hunni, who's beaming smile encouraged a small crowd of bedazzled women. His taller companion dressed in the greens of the forest beneath his dress blazer, and complimented his old title as the Wild Type.

The Devil Twins fit in well with their orange and red attire, and Haruhi chuckled beneath her breath for a moment as women continuously confused one for another, eliciting an arched brow from the older man she was engaged in conversation with. Kyoya held back the twitch of his lips, knowing it was improper to show such a reaction. The man they spoke to seemed to weigh out her disregard with her title, easily coming to the conclusion that it would be unwise to make anything of it.

'Wise man,' Kyoya thought with a drop of sarcasm. His eyes scanned the crowd for a competent looking waiter who would bring him something to drink. He wasn't very fond of going into such a situation dry.

"Fujioka-san, if I may?"

One of the younger gentlemen, Kyoya knew him through mutual contacts, asked for her hand to dance. She turned her big, wide eyes to Kyoya in the hopes that he would send the man away, but his glasses flashed and his lips curled into a charming smile.

"W-well, I would, but I'm-"  
"Nonsense, Haruhi. It'll do you no good to waste the night away by my side. Enjoy a few dances."

With a last heated glance his way, Kyoya knew that he would pay for throwing her under the bridge later. For now, it was more than amusing watching her struggle to keep up with the steps and her partner feigning a lack of annoyance. Her gentleman slowed their pace, and as Haruhi's frustration lowered, so did the mans' grasp. The sight of his fingers on the dip of her spine had Kyoya prickling in discomfort. He could only imagine how Haruhi felt.

She was so sensitive when he played with that spot-  
"Kyoya-san, would you like a refreshment?"

His request was taken without complaint, and Kyoya's eyes had yet to drift from the strained smile on her perfectly painted face. There was something wrong with the gentleman's skin color against her own, and the way it clashed with the color of her pure white lace made his fingers tighten around the delicate flute of red wine.

Haruhi wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to adjust his 'grasp' on her lower back, and did her best to dance as far away from the man in front of her as possible. He was beautiful, as most of the rich bastards at the ball were, but there was no shine to his personality or topics of speech. He'd asked her what designers she gravitated toward and hadn't quite known what a "thrift store" was, nor had he understood that she didn't have some expensive brand of car. He was a bit smarter than he looked, however, and passed her to another suitor with a charming smile and a bow, drifting off to mingle in the crowd.

Each man wore a different suit, each man asked the same stories.

Kyoya found himself to be uncommonly distracted, trying his best to pay attention to the women he danced with. As they would turn, he would catch glimpses of a red and white gown, and his mind would drift away from the small talk and to her for a brief moment.

Those moments added up to more time than he cared to admit.

His gaze was burning a hole in her neckline, his hand twitched for his pocket.

With a short bow, he dismissed himself from the woman he had waltzed with and settled her hand in the embrace of another gentleman before strolling through the rippling crowd. Couples swirled around him, and he caught snippets of their conversation as they drifted past his ears and eyes, not wavering his line of vision.

"I'd love to dance, but I really need to-"  
Haruhi had been trying, with no avail, to find herself a comfortable chair and a plate of food before her legs finally gave out from the continuous dancing. She had been following Itoshi's demands for light exercise, but she wasn't ready for all of this activity in one night, and the dull throb was beginning to increase in its intensity as she was forced into another waltz.

"It'll only be one dance, Haruhi-san."  
His false smile was no beacon of assurance, she knew that much.

'Why can't any of these people take a polite no for an answer?'

"I haven't had the pleasure of introducing myself, Haruhi-san."

She met his gaze as he continued, face draining beneath her powdered cheeks.

"I am your late grandfathers' vice president, Isao Yoshida. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

Haruhi was reminded of the moment she learned of Éclair's identity and motive, how the color had prickled away from her face and her mind had grown cold and colored with static. As her palms cooled and the shake in her knees grew more intense, she knew that this could end much worse.

After all, Isao seemed to be Kyoya's prime suspect.

The way his brown eyes drifted over her was in no way embarrassing, nor comforting. She felt like he was estimating the price of a new car fresh off the lot, looking it over to find any scratches or faults with the product. She could physically feel his haughtiness dripping through his pleasant façade. She nodded her head, stumbling over her own introduction and fumbling between fear and displeasure. The heat from his hands mage her begin to feel sick, her empty stomach churning up more of the angry acid, and she feigned herself to nods as he detailed his position in Murakami industries.

"If you would approve, we could step outside to discuss some of the finer details, Haruhi-san,"

Isao asked a little too easily.

"Speaking of business on such an evening, Isao-san?"

She knew the voice of her savior, the deep tenor sporting a calm jest towards the man in front of her. She took her opportunity to pause and step back, out and away from his grasp and into safer territory. Yoshio Ootori had bated the wolf.

Isao smiled and greeted Yoshio, apologizing for not doing so earlier. It was very brief, hardly a moment,  
but she swore she saw his nostril twitch in something akin to annoyance, and she found herself smiling again.

'I shouldn't hold rumors against someone I've not taken the time to know,' she scorned herself for a moment.

'But I just don't get a good vibe from him, and Yoshio-san doesn't seem to care for him on a level equal to Kyoya. Both of them can't be wrong.'

Fingertips touched her bare arm, and Haruhi was prepared, come hell or high water, to leave this suitor minus one dance partner. Kyoya adjusted his glasses as she blinked demurely at his arrival and sunk into his light grasp, nodding at his quite assessment.

A moment of silent confirmation from his father was all Kyoya needed. He did not waste his time with introductions, turning on his heel and leading Haruhi out of the main room.

The top of her head bobbed in his peripheral vision, and he looked down to see her wobbling. He couldn't help the small click of his tongue as he used his grasp to support her. She _would_let herself reach this state. Never knowing her boundaries, the foolish girl was prone to ending up in unfortunate circumstances, wasn't she?

Her liquid orbs glanced at the raven haired boy as he sat her down in the break room and requested a plate to be delivered. She felt her heart finally slowing, the pulse calming itself and allowing her shoulders to ease into the embrace of the chair. It didn't really matter that she would soon be returned into he heckling crowd, and that she wouldn't be able to pause for another moment. The fact that she was finally breathing easier and wasn't on her constant guard was more than enough, for the moment.

The shift of red satin caught her eye, and for the millionth time that night, she felt her cheeks warm. Kyoya was more dashing than usual this evening, with his red satin dress shirt and white vest now bared as he removed his suit jacket. She fidgeted with the lace of her fingerless gloves, playing with the shirt fringe and the red ribbon that tied it shut. The Hitachiins had outdone themselves to match the lace of the gloves to her dress, and Haruhi couldn't help but admit that she was more comfortable than she had thought possible. It wasn't itchy, nor was it stiff; the satin slip on the inside moved with her, and her freedom to breathe was an immeasurable benefit.  
"For you, madam."

Kyoya thanked the waiter for his services, joining Haruhi as she delved Into her plate. Their conversation waned in and out, Kyoya not wanting to hear about the men she'd danced with, and Haruhi not quite knowing what to say. In the dim swath of light, Haruhi could easily make out the pinched corners of his eyes, the set of his lips, and his straighter-than-usual posture.

"Is there something that's upsetting you, Kyoya?"

When she put her fork down, Kyoya knew she was curious. He just wasn't sure how to answer her.

His inner turmoil was split between the annoyance his possessive nature was causing, the nerve that Isao had displayed and the implications it can cause, and the fact that his glass was once again empty.  
As Kyoya cleared his throat, Haruhi listened closely.

"It isn't so much some thing as some people,"

kyoya murmured, sinking into the smooth peace. Only a few couples dotted the tables, and Haruhi and himself sat a good distance away that he felt free to speak in hushed tones. In his moment of contemplation, Kyoyas onyx eyes caught the glow of the oversized moon in the window behind her. Her eyes dwarfed that pale circle in the sky, and he found himself once again drowning in their glow. His eyes dipped to that hollow in her throat between those delicate collarbones, and stood.

"Might we continue this in more secluded quarters?" He asked, far too formally for her plain tastes, but she played along, accepting his offered hand as they stepped away and onto the balcony.

It was in the sweet wind that night, that bitter chill that brought them closer together. No amount of curiosity could defeat the chill settling in on her arms and chest, and Kyoya couldn't ignore the blooming pink flushing the rest of her skin. With a flourish, he pulled off his jacket and let it flutter on top of the stubborn girl in front of him. Haruhi felt his jacket slide onto her shoulders, the silk warmed from his body.

"Why on earth y-you'd wanna come out h-here, I don't know," she muttered, huddling closer into the jacket. He regarded her shakes with a small smirk, and conceited the fact that he hadn't quite considered the weather.

Even with the snow overtaking the grounds, the night was still beautiful. Snow drifts reflected the touch of the moonlight and played with the shadows the clouds cast, though Kyoya didn't spare them much of a passing glance.

Her lips quivered as the cold bit her, and she sank deeper into the large jacket. The material was soft, silk still warmed from hugging his body.

"Aren't you cold?" She tried to ask without sounding concerned, her chin tilted away and her eyes looking him up and down objectively. His lean torso was tall and still, an emblem of warmth before her. He smirked and placed both hands on the railing behind her.

"It's irrelevant. What is my main concern is how I can fill this empty space,"

His fingers slowly tilted her chin back towards him, not being able to redirect her eyes in the same manner. The heat was traced over her cheek and down the hollow of her throat, to her shoulder and down to where her back met the raining, before it was joined by a second hand. The same path was cut down her cheek, leaving trains of tingling warmth behind as his finger traced the hollow of her neck. His torso was only inches away, teasing her with the warmth she could feel on the edge of his person.

Curiosity, it had its place. When you are freezing, however, its stand is cast aside.

With a loss of her pride, she looped her arms around his waist and hugged herself close, having enough control to bite back the sigh when she was pulled tightly into a heated embrace.

"Where do you find yourself the coldest, Haruhi?"

He asked with a tilt of his lips. The burst of static warmth on her forehead sent her vision askew for a moment, long enough for him to tilt her chin up and cause a chill to race up her spine, be it from the sudden lack of warmth or the weakening of her knees. His eyes were as warm as his body, warmer, caressing like the thumb at her spine. His words barely had a chance to register before she answered his purposeful response.

"Allow me to assist you in warming it up."

The cool nip of her fingers against his created a sensation that nearly numbed him to the feel of his fingertips on her slowly moving lips.

"Here. Would you help me warm them?"

He nearly devoured the small smile that had hardly been born on her lips, caressing them hotly with his own. The frustration, which he could pinpoint a a ridiculous bout of jealousy, faded with the grip she had on his back, the way she nuzzled his chest when they slowly broke apart, and her slight smile.

His pocket burned.

"Ah, K-Kyoya, about what you said before…"

she trailed off, worrying her lip in embarrassment. He smirked when she glanced around him to see if anyone had been watching from the glass doors, only to be met with the wash of red curtains. Haruhi hadn't seen Kyoya pull the ties down, the sly bastard.

"I'm not so naïve as to not know what I desire, Haruhi," she shivered as he breathed into the shell of her ear, the hot kiss he laced behind it successfully heating her spine.

"stop doing that and a-answer me," she swatted at him so that she was able to turn in his arms. To her dismay, Kyoya removed one of those encircling ribbons of warmth and placed a hand in his pocket. She didn't want to curse him for his selfish desire to be warm, but the chill in her right side was less than enjoyable.

His glasses flashed, pulling her attention away from the object he pulled from his pocket and laced his arm back around her, enjoying the grip she now kept on her biceps to keep them from taking away her heat source again. The smile tugged the corners of his lips.

"I felt that you required something to make your dress more… worthwhile,"

she couldn't help where her thoughts drifted at his suggestive tone, her eyes narrowing as her cheeks bloomed a deeper shade of rouge.

"and that your coming out gift would be more than acceptable."

Kyoya glanced at her hand on his arm, prompting her to remove it for a moment so that he could present her with the small, white box. The draft that froze his sides left him sympathetic for his previous actions she had objected to, and pulled her closer with his still grasping arm, watching her expression fall between awe and objection.

"Yes, Haruhi, it was fairly expensive in your opinion, however well within the means of a middle class family."

She could tell from his tone that Kyoya was a little annoyed at her apprehension to open it, and it was endearing. Haruhi knew that she could be a bit of a stickler for pricing, and for good reason, but that he took a moment to consider her comfort helped her to pull open the box.

The dappled maple in her eyes was bright under the moonlight, and shone bright with astonishment.

-ccc-

**It's lacking in details, this I know, but the light will be shone in the next chapter, I promise.**

And thank you so much to my reviewers! The two one shots I have promised are well on their way, and a super late valentines special is one of them.

Je T'aime!

**dolus specialis**

special intent


	17. Per ardua ad astra

**Disclaimer: I have no rights or titles to Ouran High School Host Club or any of the characters created inside of it. I merely manipulate them to my own enjoyment.  
**

**Per ardua ad astra****-****Through difficulties to the stars**

-ccc-

The quiver in his palms wasn't as noticeable as he thought. Faintly he could hear the sighs of the violins and drips of the piano chords drifting between the loud beating of his heart. It rushed an off-beat tempo far too loudly for comfort.

The lace of her dress brushed his fingertips, and had it not been for his overbearing Ootori pride, he would have sighed at his small personal victory. So far, she had accepted.

"Open it,"

Kyoya encouraged after a pregnant pause,

"I promise it won't bite."

Haruhi snorted at his attempt to humor her, knowing full well she wasn't afraid of the little box nipping her fingers. No, she was frightened of the price tag, and implications, attached.

"Its…"

The small hitch of breath kept him on hold, feeling more than seeing her let go of her grasp on his bicep to finger the contents of the box.

Haruhi couldn't help but swell over the price tag this must have come with. There it sat, nestled right at home on top of the luxurious satin and bared to the elements. Her vision was completely enveloped by the little trinket.

"It's easily affordable for someone who is middle class, Haruhi,"

he sighed in an attempt to lull her from her off-putting silence. The thin angel hair chain was home to a small golden circle, a strawberry cultured pearl perched beneath the touch of the chain. The moonlight caught the gold and pearl in a silken caress, and the pearl seemed to reply with a warm shine in return.

The reasons why he had purchased this for her bubbled forward and melted on the tip of his tongue, fueled by the urge to reassure himself and quelled by the need to sustain his cool exterior in front of this chocolate haired beauty. With his hands free, he looped them around her middle when the shivers began to once again set in, and met his lips with her chilled forehead. One of those friendly locks moved to brush his cheek in greeting, and was met with nimble fingertips. Haruhi watched his dark eyes follow the movement of her bangs as he tucked them behind her ear and breathed out slowly, plucking the necklace from the box and holding it out.

At his bemused stare, she looked away and muttered

"I c-c-can't exactly put it on by myself, you know."

His fingers didn't fumble from the cold, nor from the annoyingly minute clasp.

The tingle in his spine caused his hands to tremble, stemming from the bloom of static that came from Haruhi.

She had accepted it.

Why it meant so much, he wasn't sure. He had spent a short while strolling through jewelry stores, trying to catch a glimpse of inspiration for a gift that Haruhi would appreciate. When he had returned to the store to purchase it, Kyoya found that his purchase had become more to him that just a coming-out gift; it began to resemble his affections for such an enthralling girl, his hesitations to admit to such, and the confusion that she caused him daily.

"It's really, really pretty. I'm g-glad you took me into consideration w-wh-when purchasing it,"

he heard her words, yes, but he felt her warm, charming voice soothing over him, and that was what he focused on.

In a small wave of self-realization, Kyoya smiled at his own reactions.  
Such a small thing meant so much more to himself than this innocent girl, how… out of character for him.

'This is Haruhi, after all,' he thought with a hint of dry sarcasm.

She touched the small pendant around her neck and turned to him, smiling wholly. The happily empty box found its home back inside of Kyoyas pocket, and his hands rejoined the small of her back in a familiar greeting.

'She does have quite the reputation of invoking hidden inhibitions.'

That smile sent him into a drunken stupor, and he couldn't quell the responding smile as he touched his forehead to hers, lips to lips, fingertips to ripe cheeks, warmth to warmth. She felt her chest swell under the touch of the little gold circle, her affections vesting themselves in the tips of her fingers and toes as they curled, hands moving to grasp his shirt.

With a short breath, she tilted her head back and asked,

"If you wouldn't mind, c-could we p-p-please go inside, now?"

There was a steady thrum in his chest as he took her hand, and allowed his flood of uninhibited confidence to break his own rules and re-enter the parlor with his fingers laced together with Haruhi's. Eyes danced over their movement, tracing the lines they painted through the empty tables to their own plates. Those onyx orbs watched her nervous petite form with a new found appreciation.

-CCC-

The lull of the violins did little to ease the woe of the sordid Tamaki. It had been two and a half hours and he had yet to dance with his princess,

and boy did he let the world know.

"How can I not dance with my daughter? What brute would keep her away from her loving father for so long?" His wail was longstanding, and Naoki was loathe to break his sweet demeanor to deal with the blonde's eclectic temperament.

"Tamaki-kun, please, won't you calm down, even for a moment?"

Naoki tried in his light, warm falsetto. His painted lips curved into a pout as his fingers gripped onto the larger hand of the blonde tono. Rich purple eyes took in the deep hues of grey that seemed to plead for his attention, and for a brief moment, he forgot that it was a ploy.

"Ah, my Nao-chan, how could I be so selfish as to allow my attentions to dwindle from you?"

Tamaki allowed himself to be caught in the beauty of the moment, even if he would be made to pay for it later.

"Please, forgive me, my darling."

Tamaki bowed with a flourish, his hand extended.

"Would you bless me with a dance, my lady?"  
Naoki smiled.

Tamaki's feet had never known such punishment.  
-CCC-

"Should we really be gone from the party for so long?"

She questioned over the silence, wondering about how the rest of the host club was doing. They had grown up involved in these sorts of affairs, so worry wasn't as prevalent as curiosity towards her current predicament.

"I'm aware of the implications that our disappearance will undoubtedly cause, but implications are already abound at the moment,"

Kyoya paused to fix his glasses under her stare,

"and I believe you have been waiting to ask something in a preferable climate."

At the mention of temperature, Haruhi shrugged out of his jacket, laying it over her lap and smoothing it down. Kyoya watched as her gaze glanced back over to his hand and she made slower strokes, wondering whether or not it would be appropriate to return their hands to such an embrace under the eyes of potential gossips.

"Yes, I wanted to ask about why you were so… tense, earlier."

Her eyes locked decidedly on the lapels of his jacket in her lap before she continued,

"and now I suppose I'm also curious about your gift, too."

The steady ticking of the clock met their silence, and counted the minutes that passed by as Kyoya attempted to formulate some sort of reasonable answer.

He took a slow breath, and

"I understand if you don't want to answer me, Kyoya. If it's something that is important enough,"

The spell holding her eyes to the pinstripes of his jacket ebbed, and her neck tilted just so, letting her meet his eyes with a casual side glance.  
"I trust that you will tell me."

Kyoya was well aware that his eyes betrayed his surprise.  
It only took him a moment to curl his lips into a small smirk of content, unable to resist a wave of vibrant appreciation for this girl.

The pendant around her neck caught fire in the sultry lighting, and with it the glow of her skin.

-CCC-  
"She is the spitting image of her mother at her age," Osada commented. Yoshio stood at his side, watching as his third born son and Haruhi Fujioka emerged from the dining area, mingling with a smiling pair of ladies. His lips twitched as he recognized the inner stirrings of protection in his young son, how his eyes glanced to the side as often as he could, her arm still linked with his.

"I do believe you are right, Osada-san. She has her mother's 'charm' as well," he chuckled. Osada knew too well that he was referring to the natural air that seemed to bloom around the Fujioka women, and how their honesty was one of their brightest characteristics. Haruhi shone tonight, amidst some of the most expensive gems of Japanese society; they hardly held their glimmer to the belle of the ball.

"Then you have many interesting days to look forward to, I expect."

Yoshio tasted the dark insinuation with his wine, helping to wash down the hard to swallow truths attached.

"Interesting. What a carefully selected description of what is to come."

Inclining his head, Osada turned to Yoshio, lowering his naturally loud voice to an almost inaudible whisper.

"I left the letter in your office, I felt it better to place it somewhere it won't easily be lost."

"I will make sure it reaches her," Yoshio guaranteed, gently swirling the wine in his glass.

Osada nodded, not letting his calm demeanor buckle. He rarely had a moment to rest his thoughts from this case, and was used to the weight it carried. Yoshio was far too used to the weight of everything, and allowed it to press upon him with a smile and a strong grip as they shook hands.

"Thank you for your invitation, Yoshio-san. I am sorry that I will have to leave early," he apologized with a nod of his head.

"Nonsense, I'm sure you are looking forward to some rest. Take care, Osada-san."

The tall man left as quietly as he came, his absence providing him the opportunity to acknowledge other guests as he made his way toward his youngest son.

"Kyoya, your disappearance caused a bit of a stir, you know."

Kyoya could tell that his father was displeased by his lengthy escape, though he couldn't bring himself to regret a moment. His father and himself smiled and nodded to the women, who dismissed themselves in the same manner, leaving Haruhi and Kyoya to Yoshio. The pearl that dangled from Haruhi's neck didn't get past Yoshios attention, and he decided that, for the moment, the matter of the letter could be set aside for later.

Ah, youth and its wonders.

"My apologies, Yoshio-san. I didn't mean to keep him so long,"

Haruhi answered with a short bow and a smile. It was difficult to resist the girl under casual circumstances, and under their current farce, he nodded and turned to another business partner, sipping his glass of wine.

"I see where you get social drinking from,"

Haruhi teased under her breath.

They hadn't taken another step before they were bombarded by one blonde king and two nosy redheads trailing behind.

"Haruhi darling, you haven't spoken to daddy all night! Come, dance with your father!"

Tamaki swooped in to sweep her off of her feet, only to find himself hand in hand with a redheaded devil, albeit the lesser of two evils.

"I didn't know you felt that way, tono," Kaoru teased as he spun the blonde away from his brother and Haruhi. Hikaru opened his hand before Haruhi, bowing slightly with a wink.

"May I, Princess?"

Haruhi hadn't had a moment to say no, already turning and spinning away from one bemused Kyoya Ootori.

"How are you tonight?" Hikaru asked before Haruhi found herself to complain. She finally smiled as they set into a calmer pace, his hold light and easy. She looked up to find the ever present sparkle in his eye, heightened by the shimmer of the lights throughout the room.

"My feet aren't completely killing me yet, and the food was great," she admitted with a grin,

"and these gloves you and Kaoru made are great."

Hikaru's thumb moved over the back of the glove that covered the surface of Haruhi's uninjured hand and smiled at the compliment.

"You're welcome, Haruhi. Perhaps you'll let us design you more than just gloves now?"

She pretended to think it over for a moment, looking thoughtful as she glanced at him and to the gloves.  
"It's a thought, I suppose."

He had to concede to her 'maybe, if you guys keep up the good work' and set to sweeping her around the dance floor, playfully bumping into other guests and enjoying Haruhi's giggles after her original concern for politeness wore out. It was far too soon for him before he had to pass her hand to another man, and he hadn't thought to look to who he was passing her to before it was too late.

He caught Tamaki's tongue stuck out at him in victory and felt his eye twitch spastically as he watched the blonde idiot and Haruhi twirl off.

"I thought I would never get to dance with my beautiful Haruhi!"

Tamaki cried, forgetting that Haruhi wasn't one of the best dancers.

"Uh, Tamaki, can you slow down please?" She asked, her legs beginning to ache from having to practically run to keep up with his longer strides. His violet eyes blinked as he stopped short, looking down at her as she lightly bumped into his chest, and he smiled. They resumed on the floor, Haruhi hard-pressed to ignore the stares they were receiving, but Tamaki naturally soaked up any form of attention and continued on, his tread lighter this time.

"Thanks," she sighed, all too used to his over-the-top disposition. With his pace slowed, his vigor calmed and allowed him to act more rationally than was thought possible. His eyes swept over her appearance, noting the subtle touches of powder, the flow of her dress that was, ultimately, the best decision made, and the light curl of her hair as it cascaded down her shoulder. His velvet gaze rested on the pearl that danced with the light as the moved, and he remembered that he hadn't noticed it before.

"Your necklace is pretty, Haruhi. I didn't know you had anything like that,"

He reached down to touch it gently, turning it between his fingers for a moment before letting it settle back into place, hand returning to hip. She felt her temperature rise a few degrees as he handled the gold and pink trinket and fought the touch of warmth she felt from his observation of Kyoya's gift.

"Kyoya gave it to me a little bit ago, said something about it being a coming out gift."  
She touched it for what felt like the millionth time and smiled slightly.

"I don't know what shocked me more: that he took me into consideration when buying this or that I liked it."  
The blonde King was silent for a moment as he contemplated how to approach the situation. Kyoya didn't buy gifts unless they helped him reach something that he desired. Tamaki knew well enough that Kyoyas intentions were a bit out of reach for Haruhi to grasp, and to try and spoil the surprise would only cause her further confusion.

"Kyoya always puts a lot of thought into the things that he buys," Tamaki decided that this was appropriate enough, and admittedly enjoyed the little frown that tugged at her lips. Food for thought was something he enjoyed giving her, seeing as he knew that he annoyed her 364 days out of the year.

"I know that…" she tried to begin, but paused as a lack of words stilled her tongue. For some reason, Tamaki's knowing tone had her becoming one frustrated bundle, and that was unacceptable. She had told Kyoya that she would accept his explanation when he was willing to give it, and not a moment before. That would have to be that.

"Kyoya also has impeccable taste. It looks very good on you."

"Pearls are my favorite," she said offhandedly, still swept into her own thoughts.

Somehow, he thought, a pearl fit her wonderfully.

Pure, inexpensive, beautiful, and natural.

He could afford to take a lesson from Kyoya's book on thoughtful gift giving.

"Are you happy, Haruhi?"

He asked before he could catch himself. The question caught her in her wave of concentration, and she fixed him with a look of confusion.

"Am I happy about what?"

He looked out to the guests around them, to smiling couples dancing, faces mingling, their friends interspersed in the crowd of black and white, figures of radiance. Happy.

"I suppose," she began, before he could finish looking like a confused puppy.

"Given everything that has happened, that I am as happy as I can be right now. I have a lot to be thankful for."

And she did. Haruhi realized that many aspects of her life were grim; her future was crumbling, her father was comatose, and her past was yet again haunting her. She also realized, however, that she had friends to support her, she could attend school once again, she was still alive, and, in some strange way, she had Kyoya's support as well. So, all hope was not lost.

That was how she decided to look at it, from now on. Yes, it was difficult, but that is life. She was not ignorant on suffering, and had endured so far. This would not stop her.  
"You are so strong, Haruhi. I am proud of you." Tamaki gushed, trying to hold back his admiration and tears of joy for her sake. Naoki came not a moment too soon, perfect as always in his short purple dress and wispy ash blonde hair.

"Alright, Tamaki, let's leave the other gentlemen some time too, hmm?"

Tamaki let her hand go with a gentle squeeze, forgetting which one was injured and earning a wince and a smile in return.

"May I, miss?" Another man interjected, and with a polite nod to Tamaki and Naoki, she accepted his hand to dance. Her feet wobbled at first, trying to adjust to his quicker movements, but his smile cooled her embarrassment and he slowed down,

both for her sake and his freshly polished shoes.

"Uh, sorry, I'm not really very good at this," her apology came with a chuckle, and she glanced up to catch a glimpse of the young man.

"It's a pleasure to finally catch up to you, Haruhi-san. I am Yurai Ootori."

In the dim glow of the ball room, she could spy the telltale steel shade of his eyes, framed by a swath of wavy brown hair similar to that of Itoshi's.

'It must have been their mother's trait,' Haruhi assumed to herself. The rest of Yurai was that of a proper Ootori: lithe, strong, and beautiful. This man held a playful glint in his eyes, a light all his own sparkling below.

"I'm sorry we haven't formerly met, I've been in Europe for business purposes. I hear I missed quite the stir, hmm?"

He spun her round, again, and she enjoyed the boyish nature of this Ootori.

Having met the three brothers, she couldn't quite understand how dysfunctional they could have truly been. She made a note to uncover a bit more of Kyoya's blanketed past as she smiled back at Yurai.

"It's no problem, Yurai-san. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, too. Did you arrive well?"

As they danced, Haruhi's laughter tinkled amidst the chatter of the other patrons, and she stepped back, shoulders shaking as the song ended. With a lazy wink, Yurai inclined his head to the small girl and, at a respectable distance, spoke in a silken tone.

"Will you do me a favor? Congratulate my brother for me, Haruhi-san."

He faded into a sea of familiar faces, and she questioned what he had requested. Congratulate him for what?

As was per usual this evening, she wasn't given a moment to dote on the details.

"Neeeee, Haruhi-chan!"

She recognized the high pitched squeal even as she turned to a red head in a flowing white gown prancing toward her, nearly dragging a handsome brunette boy behind her. Yolei and Sylus spoke with Haruhi for a while, Yolei gushing about how wonderful everything was, and how Sylus had done in his latest athletic event. Haruhi remembered the arrogance the men she had met had exuded when away from their women. Sylus hadn't struck her as particularly attached to his fiancée, and was surprised by how closely he stayed to her, how little his eyes strayed from her as she flailed her arms about in her own attempt to tell her stories. He seemed so different from the cocky boy on the basketball court now that he was around the red headed ball of energy. Maybe, just maybe, the other boys were like this, as well.

"How is Kyoya-san?"  
Sylus asked when Yolei paused, and she gasped as she remembered that she had forgotten to even ask, her bosom heaving with the action. Well, those things certainly gave him one other thing to look at, it seemed. Haruhi couldn't blame him. They WERE quite… out there.

"I'm so sorry, Haruhi-chan, I didn't even think to ask about you before I barreled right into my own story."

Haruhi smiled and waved it off, her smile charming as she told them that Kyoya was doing well. The Host in her catered to Yolei's distress, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Sylus. Kyoya had said very little to him, or the others for that matter, on the nature of Haruhi and his relationship. He had mentioned she had been involved with the Host Club, and from what he was witnessing, Haruhi had learned more than a thing or two on appeasing women.

"Speaking of me, are you?" His voice swept over her response, and Kyoya stepped by her side, looking down at her for a moment before acknowledging Sylus with a handshake.

"Only when persuaded," she offered lightly, and they laughed. Kyoya engaged them in polite conversation, thanking them for coming and agreeing to meet the following week for a match.

"For now, I believe Haruhi owes me the pleasure of a dance," and breezed her onto the dance floor.

"You make far too many friends," Kyoya teased, turning her to the rhythm of the song. She smiled in passive agreement, feeling the nervous flutter in her stomach a bit too strongly for comfort. The gentle sweep of the pads of his fingers ghosting over her bare skin only added fuel to the fire.

"They were your friends first, you know. I can't help that I'm more interesting."

She was proud of the slight jab she managed to insert into a polite bit of conversation, and he raised his brow in admittance; that was a cunning move.

"On the topic of interesting friends, I couldn't help but notice the duel for your hand, ending with one blonde haired idiot?"

"Agh. He said he liked the necklace," she admitted, allowing the sentence too much pause in between words to allow Kyoya to believe that was the only thing said.

"Undoubtedly. I don't know who would dislike it." Kyoya agreed.

"Anything else by way of indirect compliments?"

"That you always put a lot of thought behind any of your gifts." She paused to look into his eyes, and when she saw interest register, she continued. "I am very inclined to believe that, as well."

Spinning her slowly, he allowed a smile to register on his face. Her genuine heart could best him if he wasn't prepared. Even though he kept the dance slow, Kyoya could tell Haruhi was nearing her end. They had opted to purchase her the slightest heals possible, and had made sure the gel insoles were well fitted. Even so, Haruhi could only tolerate so much on her still healing muscles.

The last notes of the song drifted to a close, and as the next song began, Kyoya escorted Haruhi away from the dance floor.

The music paused as heads turned toward the staircase, his father standing on the small platform at the foot of the stairs so that all eyes were on him. Haruhi looked to Kyoya in question, who merely raised a brow in return. He was unsure of his father's motives, as well.

"Good evening, everyone."

Yoshio bowed his head a fraction to the crowd in acknowledgement before continuing. Haruhi inched ever closer to one painfully aware Kyoya.

"I am very grateful that you all could be here tonight, not only to celebrate the birthday of my son Kyoya and the admittance of Haruhi Fujioka into society, but the coming together to celebrate the life of Sadao Murakami."

With hope that she wouldn't be noticed, Haruhi threaded her arm with Kyoya's, and he offered her a smidgen of support for her aching legs as everyone took a moment to remember Sadao.

"With his passing, I was able to formally meet Fujioka-san, and though I do miss my dear friend, I have high hopes for the potential that she possesses to make progress in the world. She has demonstrated academic superiority as well as immeasurable loyalty to her friends and family, as demonstrated fractionally by her selfless act of saving my son's life."

She knew that Kyoya was smirking at her expense when the crowd applauded her achievements. Yoshio chimed in with a polite clap before continuing.

"Before her father's accident, he made a request that I was more than happy to accept."

Yoshio's eyes met the listless caramel orbs in the crowd that he knew belonged to one Haruhi Fujioka, taking in the heat they shared before shifting his attention to his son before he spoke.

"As head of the Ootori family, I gave him my word that I would do everything in my power to ensure that she was under our protection. But, I am afraid that I cannot continue on with this promise for much longer."

In a moment, hundreds of whispered voices murmured questions to equally confused guests, save for those hand full of elite under the title of Host Club. Naoki grabbed Tamaki's jacket sleeve before he could even think of moving, sparking Kaoru's similar treatment to his fiery brother.

"Takashi," Hunni whispered from his perch on the giant's shoulders, "what does Yoshio-san mean by that? Does that mean we can protect her now?"

Mori remained silent, unsure of the answer himself. His grip tightened on his cousins small legs.

"Kyoya," Haruhi said softly, now understanding Yurai's request. "Your brother asked me to tell you something."

How she couldn't have suspected that this would happen, even after Yurai's rather obvious message, she had no idea. Kyoya looked down, his calm demeanor not belaying the inner turmoil he felt at the sudden confusion for his father's actions. What did his brother have to do with anything?

She smiled up at him, catching him by surprise.

"Congratulations."

"Kyoya Ootori, third heir to the Ootori family, will have to decide whether or not to continue to uphold the promise for Fujioka's safety as my successor to the Ootori family business."

-CCC-

:)


	18. Lectori Salutem Not a chapter

**Lectori Salutem (L.S.)****-**_**Greetings to the reader **_

_**Good morning, readers! I have finally updated this story, and, I really don't have anything to say except I work overnights, which is when my creativity is at its peak. I try to write as soon as I get home, and, little by little, this chapter ebbed its way out of me.**_

Now, as a little bonus, since the one shots are still in development in some mako tubes, I'm going to answer a few questions that I've spotted in reviews. I absolutely love questions, and I love reviews, so this works out well for me. It'll also answer some of the more intimate details I have not addressed –yet- with you in the story. Please, enjoy, and forgive me for being absent so long. 

******JenovaJuice97****  
****2009-07-19 . chapter 4**

**i see that is rated "M" are haruhi and kyouya gonna do the hanky panky (lol im lame)?**

- It all depends on how Kyoya handles himself, and how their situations unfold, hmmm…?

**Scherherazade**  
**I'm confused about something in the beginning of this chapter, did Kyoya take back the letter he left for Haruhi in her room? Is that why she shoved the dresser or whatever it was against the door or was it what he said to her about learning quickly for a commoner that pissed her off?  
** - She was upset because he hid it from her, and because he wasn't being 'un-confrontational' about it. Kyoya can say harsh things, and while Haruhi is quite rational, she is also a woman and prone to irrational outbursts of hurt or rage.

**Next question is Tamaki dating that model guy or are they just friends? The way Tamaki is so physical it's hard to know what the heck he's doing? Does he now have no romantic interest in Haruhi anymore and now has just a "fatherly" one?**  
- Haruhi is, in short, the only girl he can truly love. Tamaki is a true believer in all forms of love, and does not discriminate against homosexual love. To him, loving someone of a different gender makes perfect sense, even though to us, it's like, "come on, really? Are you THAT dumb?" I just wanted to stick to what I thought Tamaki would do in this situation, and that is what I saw. Granted, I initially planned to hook him up with Nekozawa and not some OC, but, I just couldn't justify it past a fangirl desire for some good yaoi.

**Lillith 06****  
****2010-08-07 . chapter 13**

**I'm so glad you updated this fic. I missed reading good KyoHaru fanfics.**

To be honest with you, I'm curious about Tamaki and Naoki. Is he really in love with him or just "transferring" his feelings for Haruhi to him?

I don't throw the term 'in love' around too often, but yes, Tamaki IS becoming closely involved with Naoki. He sees what he saw in Haruhi; stability, unique personality, beauty, frailty, and a need to fulfill their dreams. Granted, much about Naoki or his dreams haven't been revealed. I have my reasons for that, because right now, it's Haruhi and Kyoya time. Tamaki is a genuine person. He wouldn't allow himself to hurt someone that he genuinely cares for if he can prevent it.

**Scherherazade****  
****2009-09-24 . chapter 10**

**Are we going to get through this tale with Haruhi's purity intact?** (lol) With two healthy young adults, who are attracted to each other, sleeping in the same bed every night? I think it's a matter of which chapter the inevitable occurs. (Just how big is this bathtub they were in?)  
- I'm still planning that out x)

**Are we going to get a more detailed explanation of Tamaki's relationship with Naoki? What were the devil twins referring to when they were teasing him about how "well" they knew Naoki? Have they had anything beyond a friendship/business relationship with him too?  
** - You will get everything you desire, and more, only there is a waiting period. Right now, it's Haruhi an Kyoya's time to shine. Tamaki and naoki are still simmering in the pot. I'm leaving them to boil

**So am I understanding this correctly? There are 2 attackers? One who was a attacked Haruhi and Tamaki and another that attacked Ranka?**  
- This is something I'm leaving open for now. Any good mystery always has twists and turns.

**Has Kyoya figured out what Tamaki was referring to a couple of chapters ago about Haruhi picking the one man Tamaki was willing to lose to?** He is obviously planning on them being together, but does he realize she loves him? Does she realize she loves him?  
- Kyoya can be self-depreciating when it comes to Haruhi. He has mixed feelings on her mental purity, and his value to her.

******narutoisthewayoflife****  
****2010-03-27 . chapter 8**

**so was she rapped? or did she get saved in time?**

Thankfully, no, she was not raped. I left you a little confused, I understand, but she was not raped. The physical issues that could cause would have brought so many issues into play. What has happened to her helps to shed a bit of light on how she remained so sexually barren for so long, because the incident scarred her, mentally, and physically. I don't wish to delve too deeply into it, because it's not a deeply sewn factor in my story, but it's a personality basis. I like to think up reasons WHY people act the way they do, and why they react differently. While that accident could ruin someone's entire life, to another individual, they could completely ignore it even happened and not even be mentally affected. I allowed Haruhi's personality to decide her fate, and while mentally it provided a sexual blockade, she doesn't dwell on it other than to chastise herself about her mothers' death.

**Scherherazade****  
****2009-11-29 . chapter 11**

**Fun chapter. It was just too funny to me that Kyoya's father would love the ballet and actually cry over it. On the flip side it was fun to see Kyoya miserable there. I also thought it was funny that Yoshiro thought he was interrupting an intimate moment between them and it was actually a foot massage. In fact I thought it was funny that Kyoya would give anyone a foot massage. I thought he'd be above that.  
**  
- You also wouldn't think that Kyoya would be wandering around a mall with Haruhi and eating fast food, but Kyoya is still a human being. While for almost anyone he would not lower himself to do something that many people could consider degrading or even sensual, this is Haruhi. He not only stands to benefit in many ways, but he also gets satisfaction from causing her discomfort. Kyoya is a bit of a sadist when it comes to those kinds of things. :

**Scherherazade****  
****2010-08-06 . chapter 13**

Yay... another chapter. A pretty good one too. **One thing I gotta ask is how Tamaki transferred his affections from Haruhi to Naoki? Were his feelings for Haruhi all along of a fatherly type? No one seems very surprised by his relationship with Naoki. Why is that? Was he always gay or bisexual? Did everyone suspect or realize his preferences. Is it one of those instances when one falls in love with someone and not even gender is an issue? **

No, he truly and deeply loves Haruhi. As I said above, Tamaki does not discriminate against any kind of love, and the Host Club has come to understand that. I display Tamaki's and the Host Club's acceptance as I wish it would be in the real world, free of judgment or bias.

**As for Kyoya and Haruhi, when are they just going to admit to each other how they feel? **

They're working on that part  
And I love how much you question everything, by the way. LOVEYOUUUUUU. 3

**Cactus2008  
****2010-08-24 . chapter 15**

**Thanks for the update, especially things heating up with our fave couple. A bit confused - how is it that Kyouya's birthday ball seems to be turning into a Host Club showcase? And why were the Host Club staying over at Kyouya's? Can't seem to see the link anywhere in earlier chapters...  
** - I'll address this better later, but basically, the Host Club is there for Haruhi's support, and protection. It's like a declaration "Mess with Fujioka, you have our family name to contend with." Think of it like this: At a big birthday bash, some people have VIP guests. The Host Club are those VIP guests, represented by the colors that they wear while everyone else is dressed in white and black. The Host Club didn't spend the night there, or believe me, I would have made a huge slumber party where Haruhi introduced them to- ooh, wait, that's a good idea. I'll save the rest of that for later :D


	19. Pavesco, Pavesco

**Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club is not mine. You should know this.**  
**Pavesco, pavesco - _I'm shaking, I'm__ shaking_**

-W-

The clapping started before the thought could even register. It was a slow beating within him, the words filming through each cell in his mind until it ghosted over enough of his sense to react.

It was a stretch to remember to move his muscles enough to smile. Had it not been for the young woman tugging on his jacket sleeve, he would have been content to stand still and filter through the sudden amassment of fog inside of his head.

"You've got to move, Kyoya," she whispered with a shy smile. That smile, he remembered, was incentive enough to do as she pleased. He allowed her to guide him through the parting throng of guests, walking close enough to make it seem as though she was merely accompanying him. Kyoya would have to thank her for the consideration towards his pride.

"Surprise." His father whispered, before stepping aside to allow his speechless son to present himself to the crowd.

It didn't quite color the insides of him as he had planned. Kyoya had expected to plan out the event accordingly, having prior knowledge of his acceptance, or failure, of the title of heir.

"I don't know what to say," Kyoya began honestly to the crowds delight. After the glow of the moment began to fade, he straightened his back and pulled Haruhi ever closer.

"I am very grateful that all of you are here to witness me achieve what I have strived to reach throughout my life, and I am grateful to my father for allowing me this honor."

A swath of blonde hair bounded to his side, two grinning red heads, a striking tall man, a bouncy blonde and an elegant platinum blonde following closely. He was surrounded by all of those who cared for him, each pair of eyes shocked and pleased and overwhelmingly supportive.

But those swimming caramel orbs kept him occupied the longest, and he looked deeply into them, knowing what he would find;

a steady gaze urging him to stop staring at her and get on with his speech so that she could sit back down.

He smiled and cleared his throat.

"I give my word that the Ootori family will continue to protect Haruhi Fujioka. But I am one of many."

Kyoya took his chance to ensure her place within their ranks. With him stood some of the most powerful families in the world; he called them his friends. Everyone would learn revere her, and hopefully that would be enough to keep her safe for just a bit longer.

"We all stand here, proud to call Fujioka our friend. We hope that you will do the same. Please, enjoy the rest of your night, and thank you. All of you."  
As the music once again eased into the hall, Kyoya found himself surrounded.

"Kyoya, mon ami! Congratulations!"  
"Kyo-chan, you did it!"  
"Well done, Kyoya."

There was a pregnant pause between the blessings the Host Club bestowed on their Shadow King and his awaited acknowledgements. He took the moment to clean his spectacles, placing them back on the bridge of his nose. His glasses flashed, hiding his eyes as he spoke.

"Thank you. We can discuss what this will mean for everyone tomorrow. In the mean time,"

he turned to the groups leading lady and asked with a smile,

"Dance with me, Haruhi."

Everyone watched as Kyoya turned and lead her away to dance, twirling her slowly into the crowd and disappearing within the masses.

"Leave it to Kyoya to not be able to take a compliment," Kaoru jeered.  
"Haruhi isn't well," Mori stated quietly.  
"Hai, Takashi, I noticed too! I think the dancing is too much for her legs, ne? Maybe we should give her some cake!"  
Tamaki took their worries into consideration, slapping a palm to his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut tightly, gripping the material at his throat as though it constricted the sudden swell of emotion.  
"Oh, my poor daughter! We never thought to consider the state of her injuries! Oh, my beautiful child is far too strong willed to admit her weakness and let father take care of her! Haruhiiiii-"

Naoki found that he appreciated stilettos far more than he should as they served to effectively silence their blonde idiot.

"Haruhi will be fine, Tamaki. Leave her to Kyoya. We should enjoy ourselves and check up on her later."

And with that, Naoki half dragged, half ushered a silently weeping Tamaki into the dining hall, leaving the twins to entertain the ladies with their identity games, Hunni to fling himself upon unsuspecting girls, and Mori to silently trail after.

Kyoya felt how tense she was, and knew it had very little to do with him and very much to do with her struggle to stay upright.

"Haruhi-"  
"I'm fine, really." She smiled, doubling her efforts to prove herself an adequate dance partner. She was aware of how many sets of eyes now watched them much more closely than they had previously, and felt her neck burn with the attention.

Now wasn't the time to duck out just because she was sore.

"I was going to suggest that we retire for the evening so that you will be well rested to visit your father tomorrow, but since you are so set on remaining at the ball,"

he twirled her slowly, relishing the moment he rested his hand back on the curve of her waist.

"then you are welcome to remain. I, however, am retiring. You are welcome to join me, if you wish."

There was a touch of sarcasm in his tone that made her smile, and she nodded, yet again grateful for his consideration. It was a slow process as they made their way from the ball room, pausing to accept congratulations and deliver good evenings and well tidings. When she reached the first step of the stair case, she held her breath and squeezed the railing tightly.

"I can do this," she muttered to herself resolutely. Kyoya watched from the corner of his eye as she slowly took each stair, and he kept his pace slow, his arm still laced with hers. He paused half way, turning her to look at something seemingly interesting so that she could enjoy a moments reprieve.

"Gee, Kyoya, your chandelier is awfully impressive," she jeered,

"but don't you think that in a home as expensive as this, you could put in an elevator, or moving stairs?"

He seemed to ponder this for a moment, before pulling lightly at their linked arms and procceded up the stairs once again, to Haruhi's chagrin.

"We had an elevator installed a few years ago when there were renovations and the stairs were an inconvenience to maintenance."

"Then why-"

"You never asked. It's predominantly a service device, now. Besides, you've nearly made it, would you rather turn around and walk to the other side of the house to access it?"

Haruhi glowered at the smirking Ootori heir, deepening her frown when he chuckled. She continued to glower as they reached the top of the stair case and turned, finally shielded from the gazes of the guests below. She turned to confront him, only to find her words altered into a small 'eep' of surprise as she was cradled in two strong arms.

"There, will this do?"

She felt a blow to her pride as she began to demand he put her down, but the ache in her legs bandaged her pride and kept her silent. A nod sufficed and Kyoya carried her towards his room, once again silent and complacent.

The curtains were once again drawn back, allowing the room to take advantage of the bright moonlight. It flooded over the floor, cascading down the couch and encased his companion in a silver glow. It seemed as though her necklace had an affinity for the moonlight as it twinkled in appreciation from around her neck. Kyoya slowly shifted to place Haruhi on her feet, steadying her as she wobbled for a moment. Haruhi's fingers fumbled over the wall to find the light switch, her eyes not as keen to the darkness as the Shadow King's.

Instead of washing away the night, Kyoya plucked her hand from the wall and led her to the couch, allowing her to settle herself in before locating her prescription and retrieving a glass of water from the bathroom. Haruhi accepted the small kindness with a mumbled thanks, and they sat together in silence as the ache in her legs slowly died down .Pushing her wounded pride aside, Haruhi smiled and touched his shoulder in the hopes of gaining his attention.

"Thanks for that, Kyoya. And really, congratulations. I'm glad your dreams finally came true."

"My dream?" It sounded more like a scoff than a question,

"My dream was to earn my right to the title of heir, not to be handed the position as a publicity stunt."

Kyoya no longer felt the necessity of shielding his opinions from Haruhi. He watched as she blinked, watch as she began to think over his actions just moments ago to now, and he saw the recognition swell in her eyes.

Then those eyes turned to him, far too innocent, far too naïve.

"Publicity stunt? But, it's your birthday. I think Yoshio-san just wanted to do something special for you."

Kyoya pinched the bridge of his nose. God, how he admired her outlook on life sometimes, it made her so...

"It's wonderful that you're able to remain so positive, Haruhi."

Delectable.  
He watched as her eyebrows knitted slightly, taking a small offence to his sarcasm, her lips thinning slightly as she chewed on her words.

He could think of other things her lips could be doing instead of working on words.

"It's not positivity and you know it, Kyoya."

No, he didn't. He wasn't sure what was up from down in this situation, and it frustrated him to no end.

"Then would you be so kind as to explain why, in the midst of all of the goings on lately, he would decide to include THIS into the equation?"

Kyoya realized all too soon how Haruhi would interpret his words. He saw her eyes melt, the determination bleeding into a hot shame.

"I… I'm sorry, Kyoya. I didn't mean to muck up something this important."

She left a pause, her lips curling into a self depreciating twist. Her shoes fell to the floor as she unbuckled their straps and she sighed in relief, finally leaning back on the couch and turning her head to the side to meet his gaze.

"But, I am happy for you. I think that you might be partially right in thinking that he had an ulterior motive, but he's still your father. Can't it have been both?"

Kyoya teased her hands with a feather light touch, favoring the lace that covered her burn. His insides still boiled under the salve Haruhi had begun to apply, but he made sure to address the lace glove with the utmost delicacy. Haruhi thought it was to preserve the quality of the glove made by their infamous devil twins, and was humored when he let it fall atop her shoes. Instead, his fingers barely ghosted over the pink skin on the back of her hand.

"I suppose the meaning behind the action doesn't matter as much as the result." Kyoya decided with finality. While it would continue to bother him until he could address the issue with his father privately, he didn't want Haruhi dwelling on it any longer.

These were his inner demons, not hers.

He placed a soft kiss on her knuckles, smirking against her skin as he did so.

"But you, Haruhi, are highly deluded if you think you've "mucked up" anything."

She felt the ghost of a shiver stir beneath her skin, from the very tips of her toes to the hairs on her neck, it vibrated its way to the surface and tinted her skin such a sheer pink she was sure she radiated warmth.

"I'm sorry, I-"

He'd felt the tremor, enjoyed the bloom across her nose and cheeks, and sought to devour any excuses or protests she might try to scrape together, their lips making for a good beginning.

He breathed deeply, cupping her cheek and gazing into her melting caramel eyes.

"Hush, little fox, and allow me to enjoy my dessert."

And for what Kyoya felt was the first time, Haruhi obeyed.

What euphoria he had found himself lacking was quickly dredged up and discovered like a re-opened gold mine, and Haruhi was quite a skillful miner, indeed. Her fingers latched themselves to his lapels, pressing against his skin tightly and he could feel his reaction beneath her fingertips.

He smiled. Ever so serene, so blissfully jubilant and fresh, and Haruhi couldn't help but return his smile as something in her stomach fluttered warmly. She didn't dare to look away.

Kyoya Ootori was absolutely beautiful when he smiled.

She was shocked as her thoughts escaped her lips and clapped her hand over her mouth in humiliation. To her chagrin, his smile lessened, losing its vitality and returning to his usual smirk. His eyes, though, still held a trace of the brightness he had exuded, and she took her time as she tried to dedicate this moment to her memory.

"Is that so, Haruhi? Do you find me beautiful?"

He teased a lock of her hair with the tips of his fingers, moving to press her back against the arm of the couch. Her legs sought purchase on the cushions as she moved to prop herself up, though she found that the Shadow King had other plans for her sore appendages. The whispers of the tips of his fingertips ceased her movements as they glided up from the thin taper of her ankles to the small curve on her calves, all the while forcing the hem of her dress to migrate upwards.

It teetered on the flat planes of her kneecaps, and she held her breath, hoping not to edge it backwards with another movement. Those fingertips danced to an exotic beat as they played with the soft skin on her legs, pressing here and there, easing away the tension and heating her chest at an alarming rate.

"W-well, smiling can make almost anyone beautiful, if it's genuine enough."

She didn't even convince herself with that one. She looked up at him sheepishly through her lashes, not knowing the affect her gaze had on the man who hovered over her, clearly bemused.

"I see. In fact, I see very much of what makes you beautiful as well, Haruhi. Very. Much. Indeed."

Kyoya punctuated his point with a final nudge to the hem of her dress, and they both watched as it tumbled down her thighs, pooling on her hips and allowing him to press himself against her fully. Propping himself up on one arm, Kyoya laid himself between her legs, and enjoyed how taut her muscles became at their inescapably close proximity. He was beginning to learn every contour of her body, how it moved against his, how it felt at the mercy of his gentle touches. Each twitch of her legs prompted a twitch of his own, his of a much more sinful, delightful nature. Kyoya enjoyed her struggle to find a place to rest her hands, and she settled on once again gripping the front of his shirt, ignoring the chance of wrinkles.

"As it is still my birthday, and you have yet to bless me with a gift, I believe I deserve a little… recompense, wouldn't you agree?"

Kyoya asked suddenly, those cool grey orbs only inches from hers. She couldn't escape his question, his body blocked her from moving, his gaze trapped her from looking away.

"I actually bought you something, it's, it's in my closet,"

she tried, but he wasn't keen on listening.

"How very thoughtful,"

he said softly, brushing aside any further mentions of what lied in wait in her closet.

"But first, smile for me, Haruhi."

He thought she would scoff at him and turn her head away in embarrassment as he stared at her unabashedly.

But a smile so innocent and demure began to bloom on her lips, and he wanted to taste the memory that could make her so appetizing.

"What are you thinking of?"

He asked, his voice a shade darker, smoother, more intimate than usual.

"I thought of what you can use your present for."

Without offering any sort of explination, she pushed at his chest to let her up, and he sighed, resigning himself to sitting up and letting her dress fall to the ground as she stood.

"Wait here,"

Haruhi insisted with a backward glance as she made her way into her room. He waited a few moments, allowing himself to settle into a comfortable position, legs crossed loosely, as he waited for her to return. Kyoya wasn't very keen on gifts, having anything he needed available at his fingertips, but he was willing to humor the girl. After all, it was Haruhi, and she had a tendency to be quite thoughtful when it came down to it.

He was rewarded for his patience when she returned to the room, sporting a delicately wrapped box. She smiled demurely as she placed it in his lap, and he could see a smidgen of pride begind those dark lashes as she bid him to open it.

His fingers began to slowly tease the ribbons off of the box, glancing up every so often to gage her reaction. She stood, staring aptly as he continued to pull off the ribbons, one by one. When he reached the tape, Kyoya asked for her to retrieve the letter opener from his desk.

"Kyoya, just rip the wrapping paper. It's not made of real silver."

He chuckled at her impatience, conceding the point and doing as told.

Finally, he reached the plain white box that had been wrapped inside, and looked up with a small smile.

"Thank you, Haruhi, a box is exactly what I needed this year."

"Oh, you-"

She stopped herself, remembering it was his birthday, and settled for taking the lid off herself.

"There. Happy Birthday, Kyoya."

**-To Be Continued-**

**Yes, yes, I'm terrible. I'm awful. I'm.. a very busy woman.**  
**I'd like to think that being one of the only students in Environmental Club here at my college warrants enough of an excuse, that and work and the fact that three of five classes are essay based and I take my writing very seriously (maintaining a 4.0 is hard work!). I spent a lot of time here reading Sesshomaru and Kagome ficlets, so you have that wonderful pairing to also thank for taking away some of the glory of Kyoya and Haruhi. But, it gave me such an urge to write ficlets that it was hard to dredge up my own style of writing again. I hope this does some justice, as I've included a bit more smutty goodness than I previously planned. I hope all of you can forgive me for my absence, it isn't my intention to make you wait.**

**Je t'aime,**

**Caitlin.**


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